


Changed For the Better

by spaceorphan



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-02-10 10:30:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12910053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceorphan/pseuds/spaceorphan
Summary: Kurt’s a struggling actor living in New York, and is currently working on a Made-for-TV movie starring Cooper Anderson.  Written for Klaine Advent 2017.





	1. Empire State of Mind

**Author's Note:**

> Klaine Advent Day 1: Attachment

Cooper Anderson was pointing in his face again. Not at him. Not near him. Literally in his face. Every scene. Every take. Kurt Hummel, no longer bewildered by his costar, blinked slowly and took a resigned step backwards. Cooper didn’t even notice. 

“There she is, my one true love,” Cooper exclaimed. He was not a real person. He was a cartoon character come to life, shouting all his lines, never following any kind of direction, and of course, pointing. 

“Then you should go get her.” Every time Kurt recited the line, it was with less enthusiasm. He was trying. He really was. But after fifteen takes, it was getting harder. He almost choked on the cheesiness. “If she is your one true love, and you know that she is, you have to tell her, show her even. You need to do something big – like propose! And oh my god, if you’re really going to propose you better bring the bling because there aren’t two lovebird soulmates in this world as glorious and fabulous as the two of you. And you know if you like it you have got to put a ring on it.”

Oh, god, did the writers have Beyonce on repeat while they came up with the screenplay? 

“You’re right, Julian,” Cooper suddenly grasped his arms then paused and gave him a confused look. Kurt wasn’t sure if Cooper was trying to pause for dramatic effect, or if he had just forgotten his next line. Kurt leaned in, waiting. “Darla has to know how I feel. And what better day to propose then on Christmas?” Cooper whipped around him, nearly knocking him over in the process, as he ran off screen. 

The director yelled cut. And thankfully, they didn’t have to do the scene again. 

Two months ago, Kurt had been thrilled at the idea of being in a movie. Sure, it was one of those cheesy, made-for-tv Hallmark Christmas Specials - Love On The Page - the story of two abscent-minded people who met at a bookstore, and fell in love over their shared love of reading romance stories - but it was a movie. And in the five years that he had been out of college, roles hadn’t exactly landed in his lap. So when there was an audition came up for the role of Julian Harper, the very flamboyant (and ridiculously stereotypical) gay best friend who helped get the main characters together, he took it. Hey, he was in a movie. Neither Rachel or Mercedes could say that. It was also a job - one that he needed if he wanted to keep living in New York.

The bonus, at first, was working with Cooper-body of a god-Anderson. He knew of Cooper his many insurance commercials. The commercials didn’t do him justice. Cooper was one of the most attractive men he had ever seen in real life. He was also, Kurt learned soon enough, one of the most annoying. After two months on set, Kurt didn’t feel so lucky anymore. 

“Kurt,” Cooper placed an arm around his shoulders. Kurt rolled his eyes - here we go again. “The director seems to think your performance was fine. And it is, it is…”

“But…”

“But,” Cooper clenched a fist. “I’m just not feeling the intensity from you. Where’s your passion, Kurt? Look, I know you have an attachment to the methods you learned in that radio school-”

“Musical theater.”

“Same thing. But you’re all in your head. And real passion comes from here.” Cooper slapped him on his chest. “That’s your heart, Kurt.”

“Yes, I know.”

“Also, I think you can play the part a little, I don’t know, gayer.” 

Kurt raised an eyebrow. The only way role of Julian Harper could be any gayer was if he literally fucked a dude on top of a Pride parade float while singing Judy Garland, with RuPaul and a bunch of drag queens swirling rainbow flags behind him. 

“Wait,” Cooper paused again. Kurt couldn’t tell if he liked being that dramatic, or if it really took him that long to process a thought. “Are you really gay?

Only Cooper Anderson would ask that. 

“Yes…”

“I should introduce you to my little brother. He’s not quite the talent that I am, and only half as good looking, but some say that we’re twins. Only, we’re not…twins. He’s also gay, and…”

“Nope,” Kurt didn’t even want to imagine what a less attractive Cooper-twin would be like. “I’m good.”

Kurt managed to slip away before Cooper could try to give him any more advice, or try to set him up on a date.

On his way out of the studio, Kurt bumped into one of the producers, who happened to be escorting a very attractive blond man into the studio.

“Oh, hey, Kurt, glad I bumped into you,” the producer said. “Seems we found you a boyfriend.” 

Kurt did a double-take. “What?”

“Meet Sam Evans, we just cast him as Julian’s boyfriend.”

Oh right, the last scene where everyone ends up happily-ever-after in a flashforward. 

The blond man held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Sam. Sam-I-Am.” 

Kurt shook it “Hi, I’m Kurt.” 

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Sam grinned. “I mean I’ve never really done a movie before. I’ve been on a set but mostly for modeling. My agent said it’d be a good role to take if I wanted to do a little more with my skills. I’m still not sure, but I can’t believe I’m on a real movie set. This amazing, right? Wow.” Sam continued to shake his hand as he spoke, and for a moment Kurt couldn’t help but crack a smile. It had been a long time since he met anyone with such genuine interest in what was going on. It was a nice change - infectious almost. “Looking forward to working with you, Kurt,” Sam said as the producer ushered him away. 

“Yeah, same.” 

/

It was Friday night, and unlike most people in New York City, Kurt had nowhere to be. He wasn’t ready to go home yet, despite the six hours of the Facts of Life waiting for him on DVR. The apartment felt too lonely since Adam had left. And as much as he was glad that was over - as much as he was glad he had his own space again - the ache of loneliness was beginning to creep up on him again. It didn’t help that Mercedes and Rachel were always busy with their own lives.

“Kurt, I’m so, so sorry I can’t make it to dinner tonight, sweetie,” Mercedes said over the phone as he walked to the subway. “I have to get this track finished. The album’s on a deadline - and if I don’t get it complete, they’ve threatened to use autotune. And you know my voice doesn’t sound good autotuned. We’ll have dinner tomorrow, I promise.” 

At least Mercedes had a legitimate excuse. Rachel seemed to be all over the place lately. “Kurt, Jesse’s taking me out to dinner tonight, and I really think it would be beneficial to my career to go,” Rachel had said that morning when they met for breakfast. 

“Jesse? What happened to Brody?”

“Brody and I just weren’t connecting,” Rachel had said. “Plus, I found out that he was sleeping with half the city. But it’s fine. It’s fine. Jesse’s great and we’re connecting much better. It probably helps that we’re costarring in the same show. Think of the publicity we’ll get if we’re dating - people will just line up to see if the chemistry is real or not and it is. And the show will be a huge hit. And then guess who becomes the star? Me. And then I’ll be getting plenty of offers and next thing you know, someone will be writing a musical based on my life - and if Jesse and I have such a great connection, he can star in it, too. Don’t you see?”

He was used to Rachel’s brand of crazy, but what he really saw was his friends succeeding when he felt stuck. Just stuck. 

He took the long way home that evening, stopping to check out a new music store, and grab some takeout on the way home, delaying the inevitable return to an empty apartment. 

But when he arrived home, someone was waiting for him. 

That someone was dressed like a glittery, steampunk love child of David Bowie and Lady Gaga. “Hi, I’m Elliott Gilbert. I’m supposed to be meeting a Kurt Hummel here - I answered an ad about needing a roommate?”

Oh, god, Kurt had completely forgotten. “Oh, right, right,” Kurt said fumbling for his keys. 

“Sorry, I don’t usually look like this - well, mostly of the time anyway, I just got off a show.”

“A show?”

“Yeah, I’m in a band,” Elliott gave an easy smile. “But don’t worry, I won’t practice at home if you’re not into that. I just – really need a place to sleep, and keep my stuff. See, my last roommate just got married, and this other band I was in, I stayed a lot at their place, went out to the LA scene, but I’ve been in New York for, I don’t know, ten years now, and it feels too much like home, you know? Anyway, they’re raising rent at my old place, like, a couple grand, which I can’t swing even with a roommate so I’m really hoping this works out because it’s either this or moving in with my current band - which means a single loft with six people in Bushwick, or I guess moving back to New Jersey.” 

For the second time that day, Kurt gave an honest smile. Maybe things were looking up.


	2. Me Against the Music

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Klaine Advent Day 2: Bucket

“What do you mean you don’t want to do it - Kurt, you love the musical.”

“I don’t know, Rachel…” Kurt was sitting in his allotted room in the studio, just off set, waiting for the next scene to be set. Rachel had called him four times already, and he figured he should at least call her back before she blew up his phone with messages. 

“C’mon, please, Kurt, it’s just a small little thing - a nice way for you to jump back in on the stage. Jesse and I will be playing Brad and Janet. And Jesse said he’d even be able to get you the part of Riff-Raff. Come on, Kurt you have to - it’s Rocky Horror!” Rachel was using her best pouty voice, but still he wasn’t swayed. 

“I’m pretty sure I’ll still be shooting this movie when the performance comes around,” he said. That was probably not true, there wasn’t much left to shoot, but doing a small production of Rocky Horror Picture Show with a thrown together cast of amateurs in a tiny venue for pretty much themselves didn’t sound as appealing to him as it did to Rachel. 

“You know what, Kurt, I know what this is. You’re just playing scared. You haven’t done a stage play in two years. TWO YEARS.” 

Ug, not this argument again. “Rachel…”

“Also Mercedes says you have to, too.” 

There was a bit of shuffling as the phone passed hands. “Kurt, it’s Mercedes, you are getting your ass up on stage again so I can hear you sing. I don’t care if it’s as Magenta, you’re doing it.” 

Kurt cracked a smile - the voice of Mercedes had spoken. 

Before he could answer, however, one of the film’s production assistants knocked on the door. He was needed on set again. 

“I’ll think about it, okay?” he said. There was a knot in his stomach just thinking about being on stage again, and he wasn’t sure if that was from anxiousness or excitement. “I’ve got to go, I’ll see you guys later.”

They were using the outdoor set again for shooting that day. Normally, the set was dressed for a typical Midwestern city street and bookstore front, but today was special. Today Christmas had vomited all over the set. The pine trees were all decorated with glitzy ornaments, the lampposts had garland and ribbon and tinsel. The bookstore’s windows had been frosted. There were blinking lights flashing everywhere. And snow. Oh god, there was so much fake snow. 

They were still laying it, big, fat flakes being showered from high above. And right in the middle of it, mostly likely near her mark, was the female lead - Brittany S. Pierce - dancing in a circle, her hands waving around her head. She almost looked like a child on the first day of winter break. She moved silently, and gracefully, in her own happy little world. Kurt wondered if she had had any dance training, because her movements were well timed to the rutting of the machine spitting out the fake snow.

THWACK

Kurt had been so caught up in watching Brittany that he hadn’t notice Cooper and his well aimed snowball to the face. He threw Cooper a glare, as Cooper doubled over in laughter. Thankfully, it brushed right off, and he wouldn’t have to go back into make-up.

Fifteen minutes later, and they were taking their spots, the director going over the notes for the scene. It was a big day. It was the day of the big Christmas proposal. Kurt rolled his eyes at the idea of spending the next seven hours on this one scene. Did they really need to do it from twenty-four different angles? At least he had only one line, and could easily blend into the background easily enough.

The first few takes went as well as expected. Cooper was intense and over-the-top. Brittany was awkwardly goofy and a bit stiff. But something happened the more they ran the scene. Cooper toned it down, he even managed to stop pointing. Brittany relaxed, and seemed to forget that the camera was there (she still had difficulties not looking straight into the camera). 

If there was one thing that this film got right, it was the casting. Cooper, despite his questionable acting skill, was perfect for the melodramatic Kyle, and Kurt didn’t know if there was a difference between Brittany and her character of the absent-minded and quirky Darla. They had an easy chemistry on and off set - and if Kurt didn’t know better, he would have thought they were dating in real life. They weren’t, however, because Brittany’s girlfriend-slash-publicist was always lurking around the set, reminding everyone about their epic love story. But the girlfriend wasn’t there today, so maybe that helped Brittany focus. 

Everyone on set seemed to be more focused than usual. Maybe it was the decorations and their cheerfulness, maybe it was the twinkling reds and greens, silvers and golds coming off the lights. Maybe it was the glitter of the tinsel, or the sweeping music the director kept playing in-between takes. Or maybe it was just the brightness of the snow. Kurt began to forget that it was actually late June, and that they were all acting - he was beginning to feel it. 

“Darla, we met at this spot, this exact spot,” Cooper-as-Kyle said as he kneeled down on one knee. For a second, Kurt didn’t see the annoying Cooper he was used to. He saw the beautifully chiseled Kyle, looking at the woman he loved. “And I brought you here because this is where I wanted to tell you that I knew - that I knew that I wanted to love you and be with you for the rest of my life. So, Darla - my girl - will you marry me?”

And Brittany-as-Darla’s eyes lit up, and she grabbed the ring Cooper-as-Kyle has pulled out of his pocket. “Yes, yes of course.” 

Cooper-as-Kyle jumped up, and kissed her passionately, picking her up and swinging her around. 

And for a moment - Kurt forgot that this wasn’t real life. It was like those old movies he and his mom used to watch at Christmas together. It was like all those silly fantasies he had as a child. It was like all those favorite romantic moments that used to pull at his heartstrings. It was magic and he was there. 

Until he wasn’t. 

Suddenly everything stopped, and all eyes were on him. 

Shit, his line. 

Reality hit him again hard. 

He couldn’t even spit out his line before the director yelled cut. 

“You know, Kurt, it’s not very professional of you to stop the brilliance of the scene I was sharing with dear Brittany here,” Cooper said. “I realize our radiance is captivating, but you have one line and you should probably try to get it right.”

Something in Kurt snapped. “Why don’t you get off your high fucking horse, will you? Not all of us can be as perfect as you are. Some of us make mistakes, so why don’t you just fucking deal with it.” 

Cooper stared at him stunned. Everyone around him stared at him - stunned. 

Cooper gave him that look, the one where it looked like he was trying to process a complete thought. “Well, I give you an A+ for intensity, but I’m not sure it’s needed in this scene.” 

Kurt let out a long, frustrated half scream-half grunt. “God, you are driving me crazy.” 

Kurt wasn’t usually the one to bring the drama to the set. In fact, most days, most of them didn’t even know he was there. For a moment, he was worried the director would take him aside and fire him right on the spot. But instead, the director turned back to the crew, instructing them to rearrange the cameras instead. He nearly had a meltdown in front of the entire cast and crew. And no one seemed to notice. Worse, no one seemed to care. 

Knowing the break would last a good ten minutes at least, he went and sat on the fake, styrofoam steps of the fake bookshop storefront. 

Someone, however, did notice. Brittany came over to him, grabbed a handful of the snow and sprinkled it on his head, giggling a little. 

“I’m glad you’re enjoying this,” he said, his voice gruff. 

She took a seat next to him, grinned, and looked him over. 

“You know, you shouldn’t interrupt people’s proposals. It’s bad luck,” she said. 

“Is it?” He never claimed to understand Brittany logic. “You know this is pretend, right?” 

Brittany gave a little shrug, and looped her arm in his. “You know you remind me of Lord Tubbington, if Lord Tubbington was more like grumpy cat and less like a Dubai slumlord.”

“What?”

“Kurt, you can’t lie to me,” Brittany looked him straight in the eye, her blue eyes full of concern. “I know that you’re having a hard time. I know it’s probably not easy when you’re a unicorn like I am, and are meant for bigger things than what you think this is. But I also know that you don’t actually hate it here, even though you act like you do. I know that you claim to be antisocial, but you’re probably pretty lonely. I know that while you think this might be just a movie, you wish it were the real thing. And I know that, secretly, you love bubbly, romantic things like I do, because you wrote on your bucket list that you want a huge, sappy, romantic wedding.”

Kurt gave her a strange look. “How do you know I have a bucket list?

“Oh, sometimes I read your phone when you go to the bathroom.”

“Brittany!”

“Santana said it’s okay to share phones when you’re special friends,” Brittany said. “No, but Kurt, look. Cooper and I are both really worried about you. You never come hang out with us, despite the fact that we’re totally awesome. And we don’t think you’re getting enough sex either, because we’re both sure that having a penis up your butt might be better than the stick that seems to be lodged there.”

“Please tell me you have not had this actual conversation with Cooper,” Kurt said, as he buried his head in his hands in embarrassment. 

“We want to hook you up,” Brittany said, shaking his arm. “Cooper wants to set you up on a date with his brother, who is totally lame. And you’d know that if you hung out with us every once in awhile. While I want to hook you up with my dad’s friend Walter, who is funny, and super smart, and like, fifty-eight, and really nice.” 

Kurt groaned. “No, Brittany…I had this talk with Cooper a few days ago.”

“Yes, but look - you can sit here, and be sulky, and be sad that your British boyfriend dumped you over text–”

“How much of my phone did you read?”

“And really, you should delete those messages because that’s not helping anything. Or you can accept that you are a special unicorn like us, and deserve all the wonderful things that come with that.”

Kurt let out a sigh, and leaned his head against Brittany’s shoulder. “Being a unicorn is hard.”

“I know.”

…

“Hey, Brittany?”

“Yeah?”

“Please stop going through my phone, okay?”

“But Santana said–”

“Sometimes, it’s okay not to listen to Santana.”


	3. Only the Good Die Young

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Klaine Advent Day 3: Collapse

Elliott, it turned out, was a model roommate. In the few weeks since he had moved in, Kurt hardly noticed he lived there. Not only was Elliott gone a majority of the time, but when he was home, he was usually shut up in his room. Kurt hadn’t seen Elliott use any other part of the apartment - including the bathroom. So it was a strange sight on Saturday morning that Kurt came out of his room to find Elliott cooking in the kitchen. It was a little surreal - seeing a near stranger easily work his way around Kurt’s kitchen - but Elliott seemed to be in his element. 

“I wondered when you were going to wake up. It’s almost noon,” Elliott said, placed a frying pan on the stove. “I didn’t even hear you come in last night. Lucky night?” He gave Kurt a wink. 

Kurt shook his head as he sat down at the table. “It’s not as interesting as it might imply. I had a late shoot. We have this scene where we’re sneaking into this bookshop - and let’s say I have this costar who doesn’t understand the meaning of being stealthy. We had to reshoot it about ten times because he kept breaking things in the process of climbing through the window.” 

“Ah,” Elliott nodded as he reached for the bread and began to butter it. “Still, you’re in a movie. That’s pretty fucking cool.” 

“It’s not really, I promise,” Kurt said. “It’s one of those cheesy made-for-TV Christmas movies that only old women make their grandkids watch when they come to visit.”

“Those are the best kind,” Elliott said pointing a spatula at him. “Besides, it’s still a movie. And didn’t you say you’re working with Cooper Anderson? That’s not too bad on the eyes.”

Kurt forced a laugh. “Yeah, too bad it’s not a silent movie. What are you making?” 

Elliott had an avocado, fresh tomato, and bleu cheese on the counter, and was slicing the avocado. “Gourmet grilled cheese. Would you like one?”

“Yeah, sure,” Kurt said. “Usually, I only have coffee for lunch. Where did you even learn to do this?”

Elliott tilted his head, confused. “Kurt, I’m a chef - or do you not remember me telling you that.” 

Kurt flushed slightly. To be honest, he had barely paid Elliott any attention since he had moved in. “Oh, for some reason, I thought your band was your job.”

“I wish,” Elliott got out a second plate for Kurt. “I also teach yoga a few times a week. If you want, you’re welcome to come to class free of charge.” 

“Why, because I’m so uptight all the time?” It came out a little sharper than he intended. Elliott only gave him a slightly confused look. Kurt picked at a scratch on the wooden table. “I’m sorry - I’ve been just been on edge lately. You’ve been nothing but kind since you’ve arrived, it’s me.”

“Bad couple days?”

“More like a bad life.”

“Well, I do advise the yoga then.” Kurt let out a little sigh. Maybe it was okay to finally say some things out loud. Elliott didn’t know him. And Elliott wasn’t currently judging him, either. “My old roommate used to tell me I was uptight all the time - that I wasn’t very much fun to be around.”

“Was your old roommate that loud Jewish girl who keeps coming over? Because she really doesn’t have much ground to stand on. Also, I think we should talk about the fact that she has a key.”

Kurt snickered. “Rachel, no, she’s harmless really. No, it was actually my ex who said that.”

“Sounds like your ex was a douche.” 

Kurt smiled to himself. So Elliott was turning out to be a great roommate. 

Kurt’s phone rang. It was Finn. Finn - who never called, only texted when it was necessary. He picked up immediately. 

“Finn?”

“Kurt! Hey,” Finn sounded fine - still Kurt couldn’t shake that something was up. “So - I have some good news and I’ve got some bad news, okay?”

“Okay…” 

“We had to take Burt to the hospital yesterday.”

“What” Kurt shot up - ready to grab his keys and wallet and head straight for the airport. “What happened, what’s going on?” Kurt felt that familiar anxious tightening in his chest. 

Elliott stopped cooking for a moment to look at him, concerned. 

“Dude, chill. He’s fine,” Finn assured him. “He was outside, waiting in live for seven hours to get tickets to some old people band so that he and Mom want to see on their anniversary. And being out in the sun too long with lack of water made him faint.” 

“You let him stay outside for seven hours? And you’re sure he’s fine?”

“I was there the whole time, too. And yeah, sure, it was a little freaky to see him collapse like that. He was joking with Mom, like, ten minutes after the ambulance was called. But seriously, the doctors said he was fine - just a bit dehydrated. The didn’t really even need to call the ambulance but some girl got scared and called 9-1-1.”

“And this happened yesterday, and no one called me?” The anxiousness was manifesting into anger. Just breathe, he reminded himself. Your dad is fine. It still didn’t stop the feeling of wanting to get on a plane and head back to Ohio.

“Yeah, because Burt’s fine.” Kurt could tell Finn was getting slightly annoyed by the conversation. “And they were going to call you, but then I had my news, so I figured I should tell you once things settled down.”

“Right, the good news. Which is?”

“Marley found out she’s pregnant, so we decided we’re going to get married - next month,” Finn strung the whole sentence together in one excited breath. “And we thought you should be the wedding planner. I mean - if you want to. We thought you’d like that, and it’d totally save on wedding costs and stuff to hire you. Plus, we know you really are into that stuff. And I don’t know the first thing about planning a wedding. Or having a baby. But Marley and Mom say I’ll be fine.”

Kurt sat back down, slightly stunned. Well, that wasn’t what he had been expecting to hear. “Oh.” 

“Dude, are you okay?”

“Well, yeah, I’d be happy to help you.” A wedding. He loved weddings. He loved planning weddings. Why didn’t he feel more excited for his brother? “And, congrats, Finn. That’s fantastic news.” He wished he didn’t sound so forced. 

“Excellent, I’ll tell Marley right away,” he could hear Finn’s radiance through the phone. “Oh, and I’ll have Burt call you since you seem so worried about him. Though, really, not that big a deal. Okay, I gotta go to work. Oh, my god, I’m, like, a real adult now.” 

After hanging up, Kurt placed the phone on the table, not sure how to feel about the conversation. 

Elliott approached cautiously - not sure what to say, but the food was done, so he put silently placed the grilled cheese sandwich and a mug of coffee in front of Kurt then took a seat on the opposite side of the table.

After a moment, Kurt finally spoke. “My dad was in the hospital last night - but apparently he’s fine. And my brother is getting married and having a baby.” 

“Well, that’s certainly…news,” Elliott took a huge bite of his sandwich. “You seem conflicted?”

“Finn – took care of it,” Kurt said, still not sure exactly how he felt. “I mean, I used to have to take care of my dad all the time, he had a heart attack, and cancer, but he’s fine. Finn’s there and he’s fine. And now Finn’s having a baby and getting married. And I’m just…”

“Jealous?” 

“Maybe? It’s more like I’m floating. Like I’m completely directionless. It’s funny, when we were in high school, Finn used to be the one without a plan, and I knew exactly what I wanted. But now, I’m not so sure anymore.” 

“Can I make an observation?” Elliot asked. “You seem to be a bit of a homebody - and that’s fine, if you seemed like you liked being at home. Maybe it’s time to change things up a little? So you don’t know where your life is headed now. It’s okay to feel that way. But maybe you should see what’s out there besides these four walls every once in awhile. The world may surprise you.”

“You sound like my friends,” Kurt said, taking a long sip of coffee. Ah, coffee, the only true and good thing in his life. “And my costars. And I don’t know, maybe all of you are right. Rachel wants me to do Rocky Horror with her - I haven’t been on stage in two years. It used to be my passion and now I’m just, I don’t know. And my coworkers keep trying to set me up on dates that I just don’t think I’m ready to be on.” 

“Anyone hot?”

“Cooper Anderson has a brother who he claims his is twin.” 

Elliott laughed. “So, stop me if I’m being too bold but - it doesn’t sound like you have a bad life. It just sounds like you’re at a crossing point and aren’t sure which path to take. So, let me pose an opportunity. My band does karaoke nights on Thursdays down at the Moonlight Lounge - come out and hang with us. You can sing a little, dip your toe back into that pool. You can even bring your friends, or your costars, or hell, bring Cooper Anderson’s brother - I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to at least see if he’s actually hot or not. So,” Elliott nudged Kurt’s plate closer to him. “I’m here to help you start living your life again. And you can start by trying this amazing grilled cheese sandwich I made for you. You may like it, you may not. But you’ll never know if you don’t try.”

“I suppose even the Golden Girls left their house every once in awhile, too,” Kurt said, laughing at himself. Kurt took a bite of the grilled cheese - it was decadent and amazing. He never knew he needed that sandwich in his life until now. Maybe Elliott was right. Maybe baby steps were okay. “Okay, Elliott Gilbert. I’m in.”


	4. Get Happy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Klaine Advent Day 4: Drink

Kurt was having the best time he’d ever had on set. Filming was almost over, and he hadn’t expected much take away from the experience. But filming the ending, flash forward sequence was proving to have its benefits - most notably, cuddling up with Sam Evans. Sam, Kurt was finding, was a lot of fun, a bit goofy at times, but Kurt had to put forth no effort to pretend that they were boyfriends. And as a bonus, Sam seemed to be enjoying his company, too - at least he acknowledged Kurt as a real person, unlike other costars of his. So - by the end of the day, Kurt mustered enough courage to ask Sam the question that had been at the back of his mind all day. 

“Hey, Sam,” Kurt said as they walked down the hallway, back towards the studio’s dressing rooms. They had wrapped for the day, and Kurt figured he should ask now since he wouldn’t be seeing Sam again - at least not on the movie set. “Do you happen to sing?”

Sam furrowed his brow. “Sing? Sometimes - I’m amazing in the shower. Oh, wait - do they want to give me lines? My manager told me this was a non-speaking part, which is really for the better, because I was getting all nervous just standing there.”

Kurt found Sam’s rambling endearing. “Oh, no, um, I was wondering if you were interested in karaoke. My friend plays at a really great bar, and I thought it’d be fun.”

“Is this a cast thing?” Sam asked.

“No, no, just a bunch of friends and I are going and I thought I’d extend the courtesy.”

Sam thought about it for a moment, but then nodded happily. “Do they have a country option? I have some great moves to Achey-Breaky-Heart.” 

Sam rolled his hips a bit seductively. Kurt could stomach country music if it meant watching Sam do that over and over. 

“Did someone say something about music?” Brittany had bounced over, her eyes wide with delight. 

Sam spoke before Kurt could distract her. “Yeah, Kurt’s inviting everyone to karaoke night tomorrow.”

“Well, actually…” 

“Oh, I love karaoke!” Brittany gave a swift karate chop to Kurt’s arm, which caused him to wince in pain. “See, I’m really good at it.”

Sam looked at her confused. “So, would you like to come sing with us.”

Brittany’s eyes lit up again. “Of course I would! And I know who could come with us,” she nudged him and winked. “Walter!”

“They don’t allow anyone over the age of fifty,” Kurt said quickly. 

“Uh, that seems a little ageist,” Sam said uneasily. 

Kurt shook his head at him, hoping he’d get the hint that he was making it up. Sam looked at him confused again. Brittany put her hands on her hips and scolded him for being ageist (though he was pretty sure she didn’t know what he meant) - but declared that she’d be coming along anyway. 

The next night, Kurt arrived at the bar with Mercedes, Rachel, and Rachel’s boyfriend Jesse in tow. Elliott was already there, setting up his band on the stage, as well as Brittany, who stopped Elliott’s set up for a good ten minutes so she could inspect all of his tattoos. 

“I’m pretty sure if you put all of Elliott’s tattoos in a row, you’d come up with a treasure map,” Brittany said a bit later in the night, to the confusion of everyone. 

Rachel was quick on the band’s repertoire for the evening. “There are plenty of classics here, which is fine, but not nearly enough Broadway standards. How can I give my rousing performance of I’m The Greatest Star if I have to sing it without accompaniment? I suppose I’ll have to make do but you guys really should expand your horizons.” 

Sam arrived not five minutes later, looking cheery. Kurt excitedly jumped up from his chair and introduced everyone. 

“You have really hot friends,” Sam whispered to Kurt upon joining the table. 

Kurt tried to ignore the nagging doubt settling in his stomach. He had the night planned out. He would get Sam to sing with him, and put on his full charm, and by the end of the night, they could ditch his friends and perform their own, private duet that was a little more risque than the PG scene in the film. It wasn’t until Sam’s arrival at the bar did he really consider that maybe Sam was straight. 

“Well, everyone,” Kurt clapped his hands together. “I think I should kick the evening off with my perfected portrayal of the seminal Celine Dion classic - My Heart Will Go On. And then I know Elliott wanted to sing some Great New World number, and then maybe I could get Sam up on stage with me for a little Shania Twain number.” 

Sam gave a shrug. “Sure.” 

Rachel tilted her head, giving him an odd look. Kurt ignored her. 

Kurt was about to head up on stage when he heard a chilling voice. Someone had already beaten him up there. 

“Hello, hello everyone, I’m so glad you could all make it tonight for the chance to hear me, Cooper Anderson, perform for you - Cooper Anderson’s audience.” Kurt’s jaw dropped slightly as Cooper gave his infamous toothy grin and pointed at the audience. “I know what you’re thinking - how lucky are you to be graced with the presence of…such a superstar. But I’m not just hear for me, no - I’m am also here for my best friend, and costar - Mr. Kurt Hummel.” 

What the hell? 

Kurt whipped his head towards Brittany. 

“Don’t be mad,” Brittany said. “After we talked, I talked to Cooper - and he wanted to come. Besides, since you won’t allow me to introduce you to the wonderfully charming, and probably out of your league Walter - Cooper said this might be a good time to introduce you to his brother.” 

“So - the two of you set me up on a date?”

“No, not exactly…”

“Uh, Kurt?” Cooper tapped the microphone until it squeaked. “My bro is running a little late - wanna do this first one with me? I usually make him sing the girl part, but you kinda sound like a girl, so it’d work just as well.” Cooper bent down to speak something to the band. 

Kurt mouthed a firm ‘no’ at Elliott, but Elliott only grinned in response, and began to play. 

Islands in the Stream. Oh, my god. 

Cooper tried to get him to up there as he began to sing, but Kurt refused to budge. 

“You’re so close-minded sometimes, Kurt. Cooper’s a genius.” Brittany said. She went on stage and joined Cooper, just as the girl’s part came in. 

Meanwhile, Kurt took a reluctant seat between Sam and Mercedes. Kurt buried his head in his rum and Diet Coke, intentionally not watching Cooper and Brittany goof around on stage, and instead tried to pay attention to the conversation Jesse and Rachel were having about revival shows going up next season.

The conversation eventually turned to Rocky Horror. 

“Kurt, Rachel tells me you’re joining us in Rocky Horror?” Jesse asked, mildly curious.

“Oh, I don’t know…” Kurt said. 

Rachel nodded firmly. “Yes, Kurt we’ve talked about this. You’re doing it.”

“You’re doing it!” Mercedes echoed. 

“We’d love to have you in it,” Jesse said. “Rachel says you haven’t been on stage since you did that bomb of a gender-swapped Wicked.” Rachel elbowed Jesse hard. “I’ve heard your tapes, Kurt. And despite the fact that I think your whole singing lady songs schtick is a bit underwhelming, you were definitely not what sunk that show. No - I’d blame the blonde alcoholic who funded it for choosing such a poor choice in adapting what could have been a brilliant idea.” 

Ug, Kurt didn’t want to discuss what was still a painful memory that he had managed to mostly forget about. 

“Rocky Horror?” Sam perked up, thankfully changing the subject back. “That’s that musical about the transvestite and the aliens right?” Mercedes snorted into her drink. 

“Why, yes it is,” Kurt said. “And you know, if they don’t already have one, you should come play Rocky. You’d kill it in those gold lame pants.” 

“What’s gold lame?” Sam asked. 

Rachel gave Kurt a concerned look. He ignored her. 

Cooper and Brittany’s song ended, and they both came up to the table. 

“So, what did you think?” Cooper asked - just waiting for showering compliments. “I want to thank Brittany, for having such a lovely duet partner. But Kurt, really, I could have used you up there buddy. No worries, oh wow, and who do we have here, some incredibly lovely ladies are in the audience tonight.” He took Mercedes’s hand and kissed it suavely, then did the same with Rachel. Jesse he sized up. “Hello, Jesse.”

“Cooper.” Jesse stared him down right back. 

Rachel declared that it was her and Jesse’s turn to sing, and she promptly pulled him up to the stage to sing Written in the Stars from Aida (mostly a capella - because Elliott’s band didn’t really know that one). They were, of course, as melodramatic as Kurt expected. Meanwhile, Cooper and Brittany were entertaining some regulars over at the bar, leaving him sitting between Sam and Mercedes. 

Throughout Jesse and Rachel’s duet, Sam kept making funny faces over at Mercedes, who kept giggling into her drink. When Rachel and Jesse then moved on to some Disney classics, Sam put his arm behind Kurt. It wasn’t, to Kurt’s disappointment, to be closer to Kurt, but to poke at Mercedes instead. She swatted him playfully away, though she was clearly enjoying the attention. 

The nail in the coffin that night was hit when Rachel dragged Mercedes up to the stage so that they could sing Anything You Can Do. Sam leaned over and ask, “Hey, is Mercedes single? Do you think I could get her number? Or maybe I should just get her a drink first - do you know what she likes?”

Kurt grimaced, but told him anyway. Who was he to get in the way of someone else’s love story. At least someone could end the night happy. 

“Hey, I bought you a drink,” Sam said, when Mercedes and Rachel ended their song. He handed her a tall, pink and purple drink. “Kurt said you like strawberries, and this is, well I’m not sure what fruit is in it, but it looks good.” 

“Thanks Sam,” Mercedes smiled sweetly at him, then threw Kurt a guilty look. Kurt shook it off. Mercedes took a sip, enjoying her drink. 

“You know, Sam, maybe you should sing with Mercedes,” Kurt said - there was a twist in his heart as he mentioned it, but he was becoming resigned to the feeling. “She’s amazing - and you know, she’s got an album coming out. Once she’s famous, you may lose your chance.” 

He nudged at Mercedes - letting her know it was okay to go. 

“Mercedes that’s awesome,” Sam said. “I’ve love to sing with you. What should we do? Oh, what about that really cheesy song, um, ‘The Next Time I Fall’?”

Mercedes got out of her seat, excited about singing again. “Yeah, that’d be perfect.” 

When they started to sing, Kurt saw it. The sparks. At least he could be happy for them, if not for himself. He placed his elbow on the table, and his head on his hand, and watched Mercedes look as though she was falling in love. Rachel, he noticed meanwhile, was watching him - a frown on her face. Halfway through the song, Kurt got up, not really wanting to be the subject of such pity. 

Kurt headed outside to get some air and clear his head. Tonight was ending up a fucking disaster. He knew better. He knew, deep down, that Sam was probably straight. But did that stop him? No… Maybe he should just go home. 

As he leaned against the side of the bar, he could hear a voice around the corner in the alleyway. It was Cooper. 

“What do you mean you’re not coming? … Practice for what benefit concert? You didn’t tell me about this. Blainey, c’mon. I’m pretty sure you’d like this guy. He’s a good one.” 

That was interesting – Cooper Anderson was talking him up? Kurt leaned in a little closer to listen better. 

“Well, I keep trying to set it up, but maybe I’m wrong, and it’s just not meant to be…”

There was a tap on his shoulder. Rachel was standing there, a light grin on her face, bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

“What are you doing out here?”

Kurt shrugged. “I guess I wanted to be alone.” 

She nodded knowingly. “Oh, really?” She leaned against the wall with him. “You have a type, you know?”

“I do?”

“Yup. Clueless, sweet, usually blond boys with a heart of gold,” she grinned. “I mean, Sam and Adam - Adam before he became a jerk, Finn, though he wasn’t blond. And who was that guy you dated in college?”

“Chandler?”

“Yes, Chandler…he didn’t last very long though, maybe a little too innocent for Kurt Hummel.” 

“Well, Finn did scare him a bit with his big brother talk.” Kurt let a out laugh at the memory. “You know, Finn’s getting married. I talked to him a couple of days ago. He sounds really happy.” 

“I heard,” Rachel said, rather calmly for her. Kurt had expected fireworks or at least a little more dramatic. “And you know, for a few days I’ll admit, I was upset about it. But you know, I met her once. Marley. She was really sweet. And didn’t you say she does things like write fun songs for the kids she teaches? She seems perfect for Finn.” She pushed herself off the wall and folder her arms across her chest, looking down at the sidewalk. “Finn will always be my first love – and that’s special to me. But you know, I was thinking about it. He never challenged me. Not in the way it mattered anyway. Not the way Jesse does. I feel alive when I’m Jesse - really, I do. He gets me. That’s what I want for you, Kurt. To find someone who gets you. Cute and sweet are nice, but I think you need to aim for a something…a little more different.” 

“Well, Rachel, if I was going to date my competition, we would have been married years ago,” Kurt said. She gently punched him in the arm. “But you’re right. I’m not disappointed about Sam, not really. I guess - I just want to be in love again. I miss that feeling. I guess I need to keep eating that gourmet grilled cheese.” 

“What?” 

Kurt shook his head, and looped his arm in Rachel’s. “You know what we haven’t done in a long time?”

“What’s that.”

“Barbra and Judy.”

“Oohh, yes of course.” 

They headed back inside where an open mic awaited them. Kurt always loved their rendition of the Streisand and Garland Happy Days are Here Again/Get Happy mash-up. He and Rachel and done that duet a million times, and that night, it sparked something in him that hadn’t happened in a long time. He was having fun, enjoying the rush of performance, the thrill of everyone watching him on stage. He didn’t know how much he had missed it. 

Mercedes and Sam whistled for them. Jesse looked impressed. Brittany got up and did an interpretive dance. Even Cooper, who had slipped back on the bar in a strangely quiet way, seemed to be enjoying himself. They more they cheered - the more Kurt remembered why he loved singing so much. He was going to do Rocky Horror with them. He was ready. 

“Hey, Kurt,” Sam said after the song was over. “Did you still want to sing a song together?”

Kurt put a finger to his lips. “You know what? Maybe we should do a group song. I know just the thing.” He whispered over a song title to Elliott – who burst out laughing. It was perfect. 

Wilson-Phillips. Hold On. 

Everyone gathered on the stage as they sang the rest of the night away. 

_Don’t you know things can change_  
_Things’ll go your way_  
_If you hold on for one more day_  
_Can you hold on for one more day_  
_Things’ll go your way_  
_Hold on for one more day_


	5. Science Fiction, Double Feature

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Klaine Advent Day 5: Example

There wasn’t a whole lot of time to rehearse for Rocky Horror - but Kurt didn’t need a lot of time. He knew the show well, and in the few practices they did have, Kurt didn’t have any trouble settling into the role of Riff-Raff. It helped that Rachel was right there with him most days, and that the rest of the cast was made up of theater geeks, who loved the show as much as he did. 

He had spent so much time on a film set lately, waiting around for directors and crew members to set up and reset that he had forgotten how fast past the stage could be. It was slightly overwhelming and thrilling at the same time. He had missed it. How did he spend so much time away. 

The performance was held at a hole-in-the-wall theater that didn’t hold more than fifty people, and the stage was so close that you could reach out and touch the actors from the audience if you wanted to. Mercedes brought Sam with her to the performance, the two of them holding hands as they found a seat. And Brittany came as well, bringing her girlfriend. He could hear Brittany cheer for him every time he was on stage. Even his dad few out. Burt was pretty confused by a majority of what was going on around him, but he’d never miss a chance to see his kid perform. 

The show wasn’t perfect. Rachel messed up a line that threw the whole thing off, a few of the girl playing Magenta broke down in laughter after someone threw a piece of toast at her head, and Kurt managed to trip and make a (hilarious to the audience) spill during The Time Warp. But Kurt had fun. For the first time in a really long time, he was just enjoying himself. And the applause at the end helped. 

Later at the cast party, Jesse said to him, “That was a pretty impressive performance, Hummel. Any chance you’ll be heading back to stage once your film is over?” 

He didn’t have to think about it. “I’m already there.” 

//

Kurt’s last day of filming was on a Wednesday. He felt bittersweet about it - the last few weeks or so had run rather smoothly. But he wouldn’t miss the project one bit. 

Cooper, however, was in a near state of distress for their entire last scene. The scene was supposed to be a comical one - but Cooper was more melodramatic than usual, even giving Kurt a huge bear hug after the last take. Kurt might have expected Cooper’s easy flow of emotions on set, he seemed to be having a hard time letting go of everyone as the film wrapped up, but what Kurt didn’t expect was Cooper waiting for him after he got out of his costume. 

“Kurt,” Cooper said, placing an arm around his shoulders. “These past few months, I feel like I’ve gotten to know you not just as a friend, but as a best friend. And as a best friend, I think maybe we should continue to be best friends, even if we are no longer pretend best friends.”

“Uh, Cooper…”

“I think you and I should go to a concert together,” Cooper said. He pulled a couple of tickets from his back pocket. “It’s a benefit concert, in which my little brother will be performing. All the great singers of the stage will be there.” 

Kurt raised an eyebrow, suspicious. “What’s it a benefit concert for?” 

Cooper paused, thinking of an answer. “Children, I believe.” 

“Just children?” 

“All children, everywhere,” Cooper continue. “And we should set an example for all the children who may be watching for the press tour--”

“I really doubt this movie is going to have a press tour.” 

“--that you can be friends with those around you, and do charity, so you can get acclaim for doing said charity. It is a win-win any way that you look at it.”

“So you want me to come to this benefit concert because it’ll make you look good?”

“It’ll make us both look good. And we’ll be there to support my little brother. And the children. Think of the children Kurt. And it won’t hurt your publicity, no matter where you go next, to be seen with me - Cooper Anderson. What do you say?”

Cooper slapped a ticket on his chest. Kurt took it, feeling a little apprehensive. Cooper was up to something. He wasn’t pointing, he wasn’t monologuing (much), and he had a strange twinkle in his eye - one Kurt had never seen before. Kurt had a strange feeling about spending time with Cooper outside of work. Still, as he stared down at his ticket, there was something about Cooper’s eagerness that compelled Kurt to want to go. Or maybe the curiosity about Cooper’s mysterious younger brother had finally peaked his interest. It was one night. What was the worst that could happen?


	6. One Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Klaine Advent Day 6: Fraction

Klaine Advent Day 6: Fraction

One Love

Cooper was late. That fact didn’t surprise Kurt in the least, still - he was standing in the lobby of the theater, waiting for Cooper to show up, feeling more out of place the longer he was there. Dress nice - Cooper had said. So he did, dark jeans, with a green, silk button down top. However, half the people arriving to the theater were dressed as though they were headed to a fancy ball, in their gowns and tuxes. If it weren’t for the fact that a group looking like 80s punk rockers had just gone in, he would have left the theater completely. At least he had the tickets - he had asked for those purposely - knowing Cooper might bail on him or show up a half hour into the concert. 

He walked around a little bit, until there was a huge influx of a crowd, so he went to stand by the stairs leading up to the second floor to keep out of the way. While he was waiting, a very stylish man in a tuxedo, complete with gelled hair and a bowtie, came to stand next to him. For a moment, they stood their silently, the man watching the entrance doors the same as Kurt. 

“Don’t mind me, I’m just waiting for someone,” Kurt said. He fidgeted with the tickets in his hand. The man was standing close, and was extremely attractive - dark hair, hazel eyes, and Kurt had a thing for men who actually went to a tailor - which this guy obviously had done. 

“Oh, me too,” the man said, not seeming concerned. 

An older woman in a oversized gold, fur coat walked by, and gave Kurt a sneer as she went into the theater. 

“I didn’t realize it was black-tie,” Kurt said, a bit sheepishly. “I would have worn something else.” 

The man beside slowly looked him up and down and gave a smirk. “You look good to me.” Kurt’s face flushed a little. “It’s black-tie optional. You could wear sweatpants if you felt like it - the patrons of the theater just like an excuse to wear their fancy jewelry whenever they can. I’ve done a dozen of these shows, no one cares how you look as long as you give a little money.” 

Kurt felt a little bit relieved. 

“So - are you waiting for a date or something?” the man asked. 

“Oh, no,” Kurt said, looking at his watch. The show was going to start soon. Maybe he should call Cooper. “Just my obnoxious coworker.” The man raised his eyebrows - interested. “He’s actually not that bad, some even find him endearing - but I’m beginning to be reminded why we don’t spend much time together.” 

“Ah,” the man said. “So why come with him to a benefit concert of all things.” 

“Because he’s been bugging me to meet his brother for ages,” Kurt said - not sure why he was saying all of this to a complete stranger. “You said you’re in the show? Maybe you’ve met him - Blaine Anderson?”

The man nodded slowly, grinning. “Ah, Blaine. Yeah, he’s pretty good. However, this an opera singer performing tonight who will knock your socks off. You know, the show’s about to start - why don’t I show you to your seat. Even if your coworker doesn’t come - at least you can enjoy a good show.” The man’s golden eyes twinkled with charm as he swiped Kurt’s tickets out of his hand. “Oh, these are good seats.” 

Unexpectedly, the man grabbed his hand, and led him into the theater. Kurt’s palm began to sweat. Maybe he should get this guy’s number. Maybe he should get the guy’s name first. 

“Here you go,” the man said as he showed Kurt his seat. “Front row and center. Which will be nice, it’s the one place from stage that I’ll be able to see.” He gave Kurt a wink. 

Kurt flushed a little harder. “Wait, didn’t you say you were meeting someone, too.” 

The man grinned. “Yeah - my brother.” 

“Blainey!!” Cooper had finally arrived, cheery and toothy grinned. 

“Hey, Coop,” the man said - giving Cooper a hug. “You really need to work on punctuality. I think your costar was freaking out.” 

Oh, my god. Kurt buried his head in his hands - mortified. 

“Kurt! You made it!” Cooper gave him a hug, too. “I see you’ve found my adorable baby brother Blainey. Blaine - this is Kurt Hummel, my fabulous costar who has potential, some day, to be as great as I am.” 

“Hi,” Kurt said a little weakly - supplying an awkward wave. 

“Nice to meet you, Kurt,” Blaine, again, flashed him a charming smile. “I gotta go - I’ll see you afterwards.” 

It turned out that Blaine wasn’t just a performer in the show, he was the MC - and kicked the show off with Cabaret and Razzle Dazzle, as well as introduce every act that went on that night. In some ways, Blaine did remind Kurt of Cooper - the way he charmed the audience, the way he had a natural affinity to draw you in, the fact that he was so damn attractive. But there was a difference as well. Where Cooper was all ego, Blaine seemed to have a genuine kindness in his eyes, a way of making you feel like you were the most important person in the room, which Kurt was pretty impressed by since there were a lot of people in that room. Still, Blaine still kept looking to Kurt throughout the show, just for a second, as if to see if Kurt was still watching. Of course he was - Kurt couldn’t keep his eyes off him the whole night. 

There were at least a dozen or so acts, each as interesting and varied as the previous, and Blaine was right - the opera singer did knock his socks off, but them shined with such a radiance as Blaine Anderson. Kurt was smitten, and couldn’t help but smile every time Blaine took the stage. 

The show flew by - and Kurt was a little sad when it ended. 

Afterwards, Kurt waited with Cooper for Blaine, Kurt nervously rolling on the balls of his feet. He wasn’t sure why the mere thought of spending time with Blaine made him antsy, but here he was giddy and anxious, as if he was a teenager again. 

Blaine took a little bit of time to come out -- he had changed from the tuxedo into a black polo (which totally showed off the definition in his arms) and red pants (god they were tight), but still retained a red bowtie (not many could pull it off - Blaine Anderson could). Blaine was stopped by at least a dozen people just making his way across the room - it was almost as if Blaine was a rock star coming out to greet his fans. 

“So, I know this great little place down the street,” Blaine said as he joined Kurt and Cooper. “You’re coming - right Kurt?” 

“Of course,” Kurt beamed. 

The bar was nice, and well hidden, making it somewhat quiet for a bar in New York City. They got a nice table, a few drinks, and a plate of fries to split. Cooper couldn’t help but tease Blaine for getting a lite beer - apparently, Blaine was a light weight, and Cooper delightfully brought up the time Blaine got super drunk and made out with a girl. The conversation, however, turned quickly over to the performance. 

“You know, it was good,” Cooper said, with a bit of hesitation. “Cabaret needed a little more energy, and Razzle Dazzle was a little rushed - but you’re getting there.” 

“Don’t listen to him,” Kurt said. “I think you were perfect.” 

“Thank you, Kurt,” Blaine said, playfully pushing at Cooper. “Finally, someone who knows what they’re talking about.” 

“What does that mean?” Cooper asked, thinking hard about it. 

Blaine ignored him. “So, Kurt - Cooper says you’ve been on stage. Anything that I’ve seen.” 

Kurt’s eyes went wide - god, he hoped not. “Oh, no, I, um, never really made a splash on stage.” 

“Do you still do theater?” Blaine asked genuinely interested. 

“Once you do movies, you can never really go back to theater,” Cooper cut in. 

“Shut up, Coop, you also recently said that theater is dead - which it is not.” 

“Well…” Cooper said as if it was a true statement. 

“I’d like to,” Kurt continued. “But you know, finding a show for my specific type is sometimes hard.” 

“Huh,” Blaine said leaning back in his chair. “I find that hard to believe. Well, if you’re interested, I’m involved with a new show that’s starting up off-Broadway, well...more like off-off-off-Broadway. It’s a show, nonetheless, and we need more people. I’d be happy to get you an audition?” 

“Really?” Kurt couldn’t believe it. Was this some sort of strange dream that he was going to wake up from soon? 

“Of course.” 

“Oh, is it that show your friend wrote about your life?” Cooper asked. “I don’t know why he didn’t pick a more thrilling and timely subject.” 

“Oh, I wonder who you’re talking about,” Blaine said, rolling his eyes. 

“Wait - the show is about you?” Kurt asked. 

“Not exactly,” Blaine said, trying to retain some modesty. “A friend of mine wrote a play based on being at a boarding school, and another friend is directing, not exactly a biopic or anything.”

“So a boarding school, huh?” Kurt said, interested. 

“Blazers and everything.” 

He could easily see Blaine, all dressed in a school uniform. Kurt took a sip of his fruity cocktail to get the thought out of his head. 

“You know, I went to public school,” Cooper interjected. “Do you know how much real world experience I got in public school. Frankly, I don’t think there are enough musicals about the trials and tribulations of a middle-class white kid in high school.” 

“Wait, so you guys went to different schools?” Kurt asked. 

“We did,” Blaine’s smile faltered the first time that night. “I was, um, beat up when I was younger - for being gay. And so my parents and I thought it might be best to be somewhere - safer.”

“Oh. I’m sorry,” Kurt said, understanding entirely how awful it can be as a kid. “I was pretty much harassed every day in middle school and high school.” 

“Well, at least we’re older now, and things aren’t so bad, right?” Blaine said. 

“Yeah,” Kurt said quietly, staring down at his plate, playing with a fry in the ketchup. It gets better - at least that’s what they tell you. Sometimes being an adult can be just as hard. 

Cooper launched into another story about a time when he and Blaine did a performance for an elderly woman, and they jumped on all her couches, making her mad. Blaine, however, noticed Kurt’s quietness - and tilted his head - almost to ask if he was alright. Kurt gave a thin smile, and nodded his head, as if it were no big deal. As Cooper continued the story, wild gestures and all, Blaine found a pen, wrote a message on a napkin and slid it over to Kurt. 

_Can I have your number?_

Kurt smiled to himself - and quickly supplied the information. It wasn’t long before he received a text. 

_You have beautiful eyes._

Kurt felt warm all over, as his stomach twisted in that thrilling butterfly way. 

_Thank you ;) You do, too._

Blaine sent a flirty emoji back, and nudged his foot under the table. 

Dinner ended too soon - Blaine needed to be up early, and Cooper had to be on set, and honestly, there was no way Kurt was going to have any kind of decent conversation with Blaine while Cooper was around. Still - Kurt felt giddy the entire way home, continually checking his phone to read his conversation with Blaine. 

Kurt was in a floaty state as he arrived home. The door was unlocked - he thought perhaps Elliott had forgotten to lock it again, but that was fine. Everything was good in the world. 

But it wasn’t Elliott in the apartment. It was Adam. 

“What are you doing here?” It amazed Kurt at how quickly his wonderful evening could be ruined.mood could be crushed. “You better give me back my key, because I don’t want you here.” 

“I needed to see you again,” Adam said, getting up from the couch, moving in way too close, too fast. “I made a mistake Kurt. I want you back. I need you back.” 

“You really think that after the way you left things, the way you just went away and left me to deal with the mess that I would so easily take you back?” 

“I know, I fucked up.” 

“You did fuck up, and if you think that I’m just going to---” 

Adam moved in to kiss him, hard and desperate. 

“No,” Kurt pushed at him. 

“Why?” 

“I just--I…” 

Shit. 

Shit, shit shit. 

There was still a fraction of his heart that still cared about Adam. 

Shit, fucking dammit. 

Adam moved in again, and this time Kurt let him, kissing back. 

Kurt’s phone buzzed in his pocket. And as Adam kissed his way down Kurt’s neck, pawing at the buttons of his shirt, Kurt snuck a glance at it. 

A message from Blaine: _Hey, can I call you?_


	7. Make Um Laugh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Klaine Advent Day 7: Genuine

Kurt was pulling up the couch cushions, looking for his keys when Elliott came out of his room the next morning. Elliott didn’t think anything of it at first, until he passed by Kurt’s room on the way to the bathroom. The door was ajar, and yes, there was a guy sleeping in Kurt’s bed. Elliott paused, looked over at Kurt, back at his bedroom, then back at Kurt. Kurt was feeling relieved to find his keys under the couch when he noticed Elliott staring at him. 

“What?” Kurt asked - as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. 

Elliott took a few steps closer, and in a hushed voice asked, “did you bring Cooper Anderson’s brother over last night?”

“That’s not Cooper’s brother,” Kurt replied. He put his shoes on, ignoring Elliott’s incredulous look. 

“Huh? Well then, who is it?”

“It’s my ex.”

“Oh, Kurt…”

“If he decides to leave before I get back, make sure he leaves the key this time.” 

“Kurt, I’m not going to be your–”

Kurt was out the door before Elliott could finish the sentence. He didn’t really want to deal with Adam, or think about Adam, or think about whatever it was that happened last night. If Adam was there when he got home, then fine, if not, he should keep trying to move on. That was what he had been doing, right? Moving on? How moved on was he now? God… 

When he got to the subway headed for downtown, he took out his phone, and scrolled through the conversation he had that morning with Blaine. Blaine wanted to meet him for lunch - that seemed like an okay decision. Something to keep him busy and not thinking about the guy in his bed. Besides, Blaine had kind eyes, and lacked Cooper Anderson’s sense of ego. Coffee would be just fine. 

How did his life get to be so confusing?

His phone buzzed, Rachel in a dramatic pose lighting up the screen. He could ignore it. Though she might possibly blow up his phone if he did. He answered. 

“Did you sleep with Adam last night?” she shrieked. 

“Good morning to you, too, Rach.” 

“As your best friend, and closest confident, I have a right to know if you’re making the stupidest mistake in your life right now.” 

God, he had not had enough coffee to deal with her melodramaticism. “How did you even know Adam came over?”

“Elliott texted me after you blew him off this morning.”

“Why are you and Elliott contacts?”

“For this reason exactly. Because I’m concerned about you - and he gives me updates.” 

“He spies on me for you?”

“Well, not exactly…”

Poor Elliott - Kurt could just see him being hounded by Rachel until he gave in. He really needed to have a talk with Rachel about boundaries at some point. 

“Look, Kurt, I’m concerned that you may not be aware of the ramifications of your actions.”

“Which would be?”

There was a pause before she spoke again, which was unlike her. “I think you’re just going to get hurt again.” 

His stop was close, perfect timing to end the uncomfortable conversation. “Rachel, I’ve got to go.”

“Kurt! We’re going to have this conversation at some point!”

“Bye, Rachel!”

Kurt arrived at their meeting point, a small, tucked in coffee shop a few minutes early. The coffee shop was quiet, only a few people spread out at the various tables, and quite unlike the hurried and packed Starbucks he usually frequented. The coffee shop looked like it was a set for the Christmas movie he had just made, all wood furniture and wood paneling, white and gold Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling, coffee being served in ceramic instead of paper, and a full bakecase filled homemade pastries. 

Kurt was wondering if Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal were going to show up when he felt a light touch on the small of his back. 

“Hey, sorry, I’m running a little late,” it was Blaine, looking polished and warm as he had the night before. 

“Oh, I just got here, it’s fine,” Kurt said, holding himself close, and feeling nervous. Why was he so nervous? “This is a nice place.” 

“It’s fantastic,” Blaine said - as they headed up to the counter. “I’ve been coming here since I came to the city. Maria, can I get my usual?”

Maria, the middle-aged barista, lit up when she saw Blaine. “Yes, of course! And here, we baked a few extra blueberry muffins, why don’t you and your company have one on us.” 

“Oh, thanks Maria.” 

To Kurt’s astonishment, they were given the free muffins, and Kurt received a discount on his drink for coming in for the first time - though Kurt suspected it had more to do with Maria just being in love with Blaine. She chattered all the way through the transaction, with Blaine nodding along with sincere interest. He even gave a five dollar tip. What a world Blaine Anderson lived in. 

They took their seats near the back and settled in, Kurt taking a moment savor his first sip of coffee. Nothing like it to wake him up in the morning. 

“Is it good?” Blaine asked, watching him, intrigued. 

“Amazing.” He took another long sip. 

Blaine grinned at him, and for a moment, it was almost as if the two of them had done this every day for years. It was a weird feeling - that they had only just met. For some reason, Kurt felt like he had known Blaine before - from somewhere else - but couldn’t say why he felt that way. There was a bit of an awkward silence as Kurt remembered they were nearly strangers. 

“So - you said something about a meeting this morning for your show?” Kurt asked. That was why Blaine contacted him - or at least that was what he had said. 

“Yeah, boring financial stuff, which is a lot of paperwork,” Blaine said. “Believe it or not - we’re being funded by June Dolloway.” 

“The June Dolloway?” Kurt could hardly believe it. He had heard of her back in college - when NYADA named a wing after her because she donated so much money. “How do you guys even know her?”

“I know, it’s crazy right?” Blaine bounced in his chair. “I’ve actually been working with June for a few years now. She saw me perform at NYU and said she wanted to sponsor me - or my career I guess and has been showcasing me ever since.”

“That’s…amazing,” Kurt said. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t just a little bit jealous right now. Still, he had seen Blaine perform - Blaine’s charisma was off the charts. He was a natural performer - it made sense. “So, she’s funding the whole show?”

“The whole thing out of pocket,” Blaine said. “It’s kind of a big gamble though - if it goes well, then it could be moved to Broadway. If doesn’t – well…” 

“It’s kind of an all or nothing thing then?”

“Something like that, yes.”

“So…” Kurt looked into his coffee instead of directly at Blaine. “You still would like me to be a part of it then? I mean, you just met me - you’ve never seen me perform.” Hopefully, Blaine has never seen him perform. There were no tapes of his one show failed show, right? 

“Well, taken on recommendation,” Blaine said. “You have no idea how much Cooper raved about you.” 

“Really?” That was hard to believe - especially with his attitude the last few weeks, nor did he think Cooper had that great of judgment in the first place. 

“Honestly, he thinks you’re brilliant.” 

Well, it would have been nice for Cooper to tell him that instead of all the pep talks he used to get, but Kurt kept that thought to himself. It was nice hearing that someone thought he had talent - even if it was Cooper Anderson. 

“Oh, well, tell him thanks, I guess.” 

Blaine leaned in a little closer. “To be honest with, I’m totally looking forward to that movie you guys made. It sounds delightful.” 

Kurt groaned a little. “Oh, it’s so cheesy. I hope you’re not disappointed because it rates right up there with anything put out by Hallmark or The Disney Channel.” 

“Who doesn’t love cheesy things?” There was a certain flirtatiousness in Blaine’s eyes. Kurt wasn’t sure exactly what to do about that. “I mean, I, for one, love those kind of movies. So what if they aren’t the most realistic. Why not indulge in a romantic fantasy every once in awhile?”

Blaine reached across the table and placed a hand on his, gently brushing his thumb along Kurt’s knuckles. The gesture was brought on by such genuine kindness and delicate care that it threw Kurt for a second - causing him to become frozen in his chair, unable to look away from their linked hands. Then a wash of guilt settled over him. He didn’t want to lead Blaine on - not with his head so confused. He pulled his hand back, under the pretense of using it for another sip of coffee. 

“Blaine, I should be honest with you about something,” Kurt said, having a hard time looking up. “Um, my ex-boyfriend turned up last night.”

“Oh?”

“And…I don’t know how I feel about it,” Kurt continued, nervously tapping a finger against the mug. “You know what, you probably aren’t interested in this.” 

“No, go ahead,” Blaine said. He leaned back in his chair, and Kurt was unable to read how he felt about it, but Blaine at least seemed open to whatever he was going to say. 

“It’s this whole thing,” Kurt said, looking to the ceiling. Where to even begin? “My ex – Adam – he was my first boyfriend. He was my first, well, everything. We met near the end of college, he followed me around for months, and I had never received anything like that kind of attention before. He even serenaded me once. I mean it was Baby, Got Back - so that probably doesn’t even count.”

Blaine chuckled into his coffee. “Probably wouldn’t have been my first choice, but go on.” 

“Anyway, it was fine, and then he moved in as one does. And then – I don’t know – it just stopped working. Be began fighting all the time and we didn’t spend time with each other any more. And then on day he just moved out. He didn’t even tell me, I just came home one day to all his stuff being gone. And then he broke up with me over text.”

“Classy.” 

“And that was months ago, and I was so angry at first. I was never, ever going to forgive him. But then when he showed up, after all those months of not talking – I just felt like things were…”

“Unresolved?”

“Yeah.”

“How long were you together.”

“Five years.”

“That’s–a long time,” Blaine was thinking but what Kurt couldn’t tell. “I’m not going to pry into what you do in your private life, or ask details or anything. But maybe, whatever happened, you needed to have some closure.” 

“Yeah, maybe,” Kurt wasn’t sure if he had thought of it that way. Last night didn’t feel so much like closure - more like reopening. But Blaine was right. Kurt never did get his chance to say goodbye. 

“Well, I’ll be honest with you, I’m not the greatest when it comes to romantic advice,” Blaine said - looking unsure for the first time since Kurt had met him. “I’ve never really been in a long term relationship.”

“Huh?”

“So, my first boyfriend - my first, as you say, everything was in high school,” Blaine smiled again as he retold the memory. “And I’m pretty sure I was in love with him more than he was in love with me. I kind of pulled out all the romantic stops, which included singing to him at his place of employment – which was a Gap in the mall.”

“Oh no,” Kurt placed a hand to his mouth to stop from giggling. “Really?”

“Really,” Blaine nodded. “It was so embarrassing. I guess I got better as time went on, and I had a few boyfriends during college, but no one who really stuck. No one who really…made me feel like those cheesy Christmas movies.” 

Kurt placed his head on his hand. “I guess I just find that hard to believe.”

“Yeah, well…” Blaine gave a shrug. 

“So, your, um, okay if this,” Kurt gestured vaguely around, “is just hanging out and being friends for now?”

“Sure,” Blaine said - which seemed slightly forced. “I mean, I was going to ask you if you’d like to accompany tomorrow night to see a revival of Rent and have dinner at that new Italian place nearby, which we could still do as friends. But if you need space, and you’d like to keep a strictly professional relationship - I do understand.”

“No, I’d love to do that with you,” Kurt said quickly - maybe too quickly. “I mean as friends. That sounds like a lovely night.”

Blaine’s face lit up. “Great.”

The conversation went a bit smoother there after - Kurt relaxing the more he and Blaine chatted. They talked about a variety of things, musicals, fashion, really bad reality TV. Blaine even seemed interested in the wedding planning Kurt was doing for his brother. The day flew by, and four cups of coffee and an actual lunch later, they parted ways - Kurt feeling giddy and happy and not really wanting their time together to end. 

By the time he arrived home, he was so lost in thought about meeting up with Blaine the next night, he had forgotten the mess he had left that morning. 

Adam was there, sitting in the kitchen, lazily going through his phone. Elliott was also there, cooking something, giving Kurt an apologetic look as he walked in the door. 

“I wondered when you’d come back,” Adam said with a bite. “Or was this your twisted way of getting me back.”

“I’m wasn’t trying to get you back,” Kurt said, the joy from his day quickly fading. “Believe it or not, I’m not you - I wouldn’t purposely hurt someone instead of just talking to them.”

Adam got up and came in close, much like he did the previous night. Elliott made a little gasp, but was focusing hard on his frying pan. 

“I don’t want to fight,” Adam said. “I want to figure out how we can make this right.” 

“I don’t know if we can,” Kurt said. He thought about Blaine - about what he said about needing closure. He needed to say goodbye. But why was that proving so hard? 

“What about last night?” Adam said, curling his lip in that goofy pout he gave when he knew he was in trouble. Kurt hated that it worked so easily on him. “That was something.” 

“It was…” Bad judgment? A stupid thing? Goodbye? He pushed away from Adam, and thankfully, Elliott’s presence stopped Adam from trying anything. “I’m going to need some space…and some time.”

“You didn’t need space or time last night.”

Kurt bit his lip. Was every bad choice always going to follow him around? “I don’t know if getting back together is what I want,” he said - as much as it seemed to hurt Adam. “Look, I’m going to be knee deep in my brother’s wedding the next couple of weeks, and I’ll be back in Ohio for a while. It’ll be some time for me – alone, and when I come back. We can talk this through, okay?” 

“Okay,” Adam came to him and kissed him - a familiar and gentle kiss. Kurt hated the ease. “So, where were you today?”

“Nowhere,” Kurt said. He didn’t want Adam to know about Blaine. Blaine, whatever it was with Blaine, was special - and he didn’t want Adam to taint that. Elliott gave him a sharp glance, because Elliott knew better. But thankfully, the subject was changed.


	8. Just the Way You Are

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Klaine Advent Day 8: Health

The first few days after Kurt came home were pretty refreshing. He never thought he’d miss Ohio, and he didn’t really, but there was something nice about the wide open spaces, the slower pace, and the less complicated life his family led that helped put his mind at ease. His dad welcomed him home, as always, with open arms, while Carole had a home-cooked meal ready for him. They were up until much later than Burt or Carole were used to listening to Kurt’s stories about filming the movie he had been - Carole telling him that she’ll definitely record the movie once it aired. 

Kurt had three days of relative peace, no planned schedule, nothing to do but catch up on movies and magazines, and browse the music store looking for a good piece to sing for his audition for Blaine’s show. He put his phone on silent, and spent time with his dad and Carole. He’d be down in Ohio for three weeks, might as well get the best out of it - and ignore his regular life for a while. 

And then Finn and Marley showed up for dinner on the fourth day he was home. And as happy as it was to be with his brother again, one thing was clear -- it was wedding planning time. He was ready. He had his clipboard and his headset and a long list of plans he’d been thinking about before Finn and Marley had showed up. He told Finn that he’d get started bright and early on everything. 

After dinner, Finn took him aside. 

“Kurt, I know you’re in charge of everything, and I trust you, I--we just have a few requests,” Finn said. He took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “The budget isn’t huge - we’re having the ceremony in that field past maple street. The city said they wouldn’t even charge us or anything. There’s a barn near by incase it rains. Burt even said he’d officiate.”

“Did he?” Kurt smiled. His dad hadn’t told him that. 

“Yeah,” Finn said. “Marley said she didn’t need a fancy church wedding, and with her being pregnant and all...just we don’t need anything big. We’d like to have food that we know the place it came from and maybe just some folding chairs - maybe with Christmas lights as decorations. We’re not picky about that.” 

“Not picky about the chairs, huh?” 

“Chairs don’t really matter. Marley said the guests could sit on haystacks as long as we still go married,” Finn said. Oh, she was a sweet one, wasn’t she, Kurt thought fondly. “Anyway, the one thing Marley really wanted was for the flowers to be peonies. She really likes peonies.” 

“That’s perfect,” Kurt said, his eyes lighting up. “Based on the bridesmaids’ dresses, I was going to go with a cobalt and amaranth theme, maybe a more pastel version, and peonies would be lovely.” 

Finn game him a confused look. 

“That’s the color scheme, Finn...don’t worry about it.” 

“Also, no birds pooping glitter,” Finn game him his serious look. 

Kurt stifled a laugh. “You know, we’re not sixsteen anymore.” 

“I’m not cleaning up bird poop at my own wedding.” 

“Ah, you are a simple soul, Finn.” 

“There’s one more thing,” this time, Finn rubbed the back of his neck, the way he did when he was apprehensive about what he wanted to say. “You’re not bringing Rachel as your date, are you?” 

“Oh, no,” Kurt said. He hadn’t even thought about it. “I’m going alone. Besides, Rachel’s okay, Finn. I promise.” 

“Oh, good,” Fnn said. “I mean, I wish Rachel well and all, and I wasn’t really worried about her, but I don’t want her at my wedding. She’d be very high drama, and I think I’m better without that level of stress in my life.”

“Understandable.” 

“You know what’s weird?” Finn continued. “I didn’t even think about her until Marley brought it up. I mean, I was engaged to her, she was my whole world. And I didn’t even remember she was on the planet. Is that a mean thing to say? I don’t know.” 

“It makes sense,” Kurt said - giving him a pat on the shoulder. “Just because someone meant something to you then doesn’t mean they have to mean that to you now. Besides - you seem happy Finn. Sometimes the universe can send you things when you least expect it.” 

Finn looked relieved, and happy. “Yeah, sometimes they do.” 

Finn looked past him, and to the kitchen, where Marley was helping Carole with the dishes. Kurt knew that stupidly-in-love look anywhere. And even though a little twinge of jealousy ran through him, he was glad for his brother -- who seemed at peace for the first time in a long time. 

//

_[Texts between Kurt and Blaine, two weeks before the wedding.]_

Blaine: Hey! Can I get your email so I can send you info about the show. And the audition?  
Blaine: Hope all is going well with your family. 

Kurt: Oh thanks! hummelk527@gmail.com  
Kurt: Does your family ever make you question your mental health? 

Blaine: My family’s Cooper. What do you think? 

Kurt: There is way more wedding drama than should be. Apparently, about 100 more people want to be invited than Finn and Marley can handle - the cousins are coming out of the woodwork. Carole’s sister arrived yesterday and has been in a constant state of drunkenness since she’s been here. Oh, and Marley’s 2nd cousin is doing the cake. I tried the muffins she sent us. They were horrible. The cake’s gonna be a monstrosity. 

Blaine: Well, at least you’re family wants to be a part of it. I can’t remember the last time even my immediate family was in the same room, let alone over a hundred of us. 

Kurt: Well, true. They’re just all driving me crazy. 

Blaine: lol 

Kurt: Oh! And my grandmother -- my grandmother who isn’t related to my brother or my future SIL biologically is insisting that she come. She told my dad she wants to be a part of her step-grandson’s wedding because she doesn’t think I’ll ever get married. I just can’t… 

Blaine: Do you even want that? The whole wedding and a marriage stuff? 

Kurt: I always said I’d be married by 30. I always wanted a lavish wedding. I know exactly how it’s going to go. Groom was always a little fuzzy though. 

Blaine: Ah, yes. I used to have dreams about meeting a prince charming who’s sweep me off his feet and we’d have this fairy tale romance, you know? Now, I think I just want someone I can picture growing old with, you know? 

Kurt: Yeah, that’s a nice thought. Same.  
Kurt: So, Finn wants to hire a local Journey cover band for the music. How do I talk him out of this…

//

“Hey, Kurt, have a second?” Marley peaked her head out of the guest room of his dad’s house, and waved her hand for him to come in. 

“Sure,” Kurt said. Marley kept the door mostly closed as he slipped in. He knew why. Her gorgeous wedding dress hung on the closet door. They were keeping it at his dad’s house so Finn wouldn’t see it. Marley, he found, was surprisingly superstitious about certain things - not wanting Finn to see the dress was one of them. “What’s up?” 

“There hasn’t been a real good time to do this, so I thought I would now,” Marley said. She fished a check out of her pocket. “It’s not much, but it’s Finn and my’s way of saying thank you.” 

Kurt took the check, stunned. “You guys really didn’t have to. I had planned on doing it for free.” 

He tried to give it back to her, but she pushed hand away. “No, really. These past few weeks have been--absolutely crazy. But also wonderful. And I wasn’t one of those people who needed a huge wedding, just someone that I wanted to be married to was fine enough. But you’ve made it magical. And please, take it. Because there’s no amount of money can pay you back for what you’re giving me.” She rubbed her belly a little, and smiled. “The three of us really thank you.” 

Kurt was utterly flattered. “Well, you’re welcome. It’s been a pleasure. And weddings are always magical.” 

Marley looked him over curiously. “You know I had no idea that you were a romantic, Kurt Hummel. I’ll admit, when Finn first said you’d help with the wedding, I thought he was joking.” 

“Well, there’s a silly romantic underneath the hard, cynical shell,” Kurt said. “It just doesn’t come out much.” 

“Well, it should,” Marley said. “I like it. There’s something else, too.” She went to the dresser, and pulled a piece of sheet music from the top drawer. “I wrote a song, for Finn, for us. And I was wondering if you were open to singing it for our dance.” 

“Oh, Marley,” Kurt said, astounded. “I’d be honored.” 

“Thanks! I’d sing it myself, but I don’t know if I could get through it.” 

“Are you nervous?” Kurt asked. “About all of this, I mean.” 

“No, not really,” she replied. “Maybe about ripping my veil or not showing up on time. But about marrying Finn? We’re already married. It just feels like it’s making it official. And having a big party to celebrate.” She took a seat on the bed. “You know, I remember when we first met. It was at school and one of the other teachers thought it would be a great idea to give the kids sparklers -- while we were inside. And I was in the process of trying to round the kids up when Finn showed up -- having dropped something off to the principal. And he stepped in to help -- just as the sprinkler system went off. The sparklers went out, and we had two dozen screaming, wet children, and he just -- handled it. Our lives don’t get much more dangerous than that -- sparklers inside. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. He’s going to make an excellent father. And that’s more important to me than the actual wedding.” 

Kurt’s heart twinged. The old romantic that had tried very hard to bury kept rising to the surface. “Yeah, I think you guys will be okay.”  
//

_[Texts between Kurt and Blaine, one week before the wedding.]_

Blaine: This show is becoming a disaster. 

Kurt: Oh?

Blaine: Yeah. Cooper insists on having a role. I just spent an hour listening to a debate on colors for blazers - blue with red piping or red with blue piping. An hour! And June is insisting we change half the script. We can’t change half the script - it would completely delude the meaning of the story. Help!

Kurt: Okay. Tell Cooper he can play a statue that’s intensely pointing - he’ll be good at that.  
Kurt: Blue with red piping - it’s classier, and will go better with my skin tone.  
Kurt: And give June a fake script and keep her out of rehearsals. Once the show opens, there won’t be anything she can do about it. 

Blaine: You are amazing. 

Kurt: I know.  
Kurt: The show’s going to be great! 

Blaine: Sometimes I wish I was just a performer. Someone else can make all the decisions. 

Kurt: That’s why you put all this hard work in now. Then someday, you’ll have all the people working under you make the decisions and you can do as you please. 

Blaine: Well, then I look forward to some day having you under me.  
Blaine: I meant professionally. 

Kurt: You couldn’t afford me.  
Kurt: Besides, who’s to say that someday I won’t have you under me?  
Kurt: I mean, I do plan to have all of you working for me some day.  
Kurt: ;) 

Blaine: You’re diabolical. 

Kurt: Some would call that cleverness. 

//

The day of the wedding came all too quickly. And for all their planning, it was crazed and chaotic as any wedding could be. Still, with the exception of a few minor things, there were always a few minor things, the wedding went off relatively seamlessly. It helped that the weather cooperated, and it was sunny and warm with a slight breeze. The ceremony was lovely, Marley was beautiful and glowed as she walked down the aisle, and Finn was the most composed and adult-like Kurt had ever seen him. 

Afterwards was pictures, and then everyone making their way to the reception. Kurt sang the opening song, the one Marley had written as a surprise for their first dance. Finn was so touched he began to cry as they had their first dance. Kurt felt the song in his bones, a song about deep love, and companionship, and imperfectly perfect. 

A good while into the reception, Kurt took a seat at one of the back tables. There were scatter plates of half eaten cake on them, half drunk champagne glasses, and the tablecloth had been marked up by blue crayon. At least it matched the peonies, he thought with a laugh. 

His dad was sipping a beer, leaning back in his chair, watching the chaos out in the room. Kurt had his wine glass, and sipped from it quietly. It was nice to be on the outside of the madness for a few minutes. 

“You did a lovely job, Kurt,” his dad said. Burt didn’t turn his head, but Kurt could hear the pride in his voice. 

“Well, I try,” Kurt said. Another sip of wine, and he was becoming relaxed. It was nice. 

“You’ve been awfully quiet today,”Burt said. He gave Kurt a long look. “Something on your mind?” 

“No, no,” Kurt assured him. “I’m just taking it all in.” 

“Thinking about your own wedding, huh?” His dad gave him a wink. 

Kurt wasn’t as sure as he once was. “I don’t think that’s going to happen -- not unless I decide to marry myself.” 

“Oh, c’mon,” Burt said. His dad was cheerier than usual - probably the beer taking over. “You’re still so young.” 

“You were younger than me when you met mom.” 

“And twice your age when I met Carole.” 

Huh. He had never thought about it that. 

“Age doesn’t mean anything, Kurt. Just a number.” 

Kurt swirled his wine. He’d be going home soon, and a lot of things to confront when he got back. “Sometimes I wonder if I’d have been happy if I had married Adam.” 

Burt gave him an odd look. “Would you have been?” 

“You didn’t like Adam?” 

Burt considered his words carefully before he spoke. “Adam was perfectly fine. But more importantly, I’m happy with however you’re happy. But you know, kiddo, you’re the only one who can do that. No one’s gonna make you happy if you’re not happy with yourself.” 

“Adam wants to get back together,” Kurt said. It was the first time he brought it up with anyone -- anyone other than Blaine all those weeks ago. It felt nice to say it out loud - and he knew his dad was a good choice to turn to. 

“Ah,” Burt said, nodding, as if expecting it. “Do you?”

“I don’t know,” Kurt admitted. His mind wandered not to Adam but to Blaine. Blaine, who he had spent the last three weeks texting. Blaine, who he felt like he had known so long and it had only been a month. Blaine who he was wishing was there with him now. And for a second he thought of when he and Blaine met, Blaine looking so handsome in that tux. “I thought maybe I did. But then, life sometimes throws you unexpected sparklers inside.” 

“How many glasses of wine have you had?” 

“I’m fine dad,” he said. Maybe his heart knew what it wanted, but his head was just slow. “I’m just -- thinking about what I have to face when I go back to reality. I just have some choices to make.” 

“Well,” Burt said. “I’m not going to lie and say I don’t have my reservations about the whole thing. But you’re your own man, an adult now, and I encourage you to make your own decisions. And I’ll support you. If Adam is what makes you happy -- then fine. If it’s some other guy, then that’s fine, too. And if you really want to marry yourself? Well, I’ll be honest, that one is a little weird. But I’ll be right there at your wedding if that’s what you want.” 

Kurt burst out laughing, then placed his head on his dad’s shoulder, letting out a heavy sigh. His dad always had a way of making him feel better. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too kiddo.”


	9. The Dog Days are Over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Klaine Advent Day 9: Inch
> 
> Thanks Snarkyhag for the beta <3

Elliott fiddled with the key, the damn thing just wouldn’t go into the lock. Kurt had insisted the cheap place down the street would be fine making a key for him, but Elliott wondered if it was time to just ask the landlord to give him one. As he jiggled with it, someone joined him in the hallway - a strangely dressed man in a brightly colored plaid blazer and matching bowtie, who had some sort of package in his hands. Someone who stopped at the door and watched him curiously as he struggled with the lock. 

“Can I help you?” Elliott was more irritated at the lock than at the man, but the frustration came out nonetheless. 

“I’m here for Kurt Hummel?” 

“He’s not back until tomorrow.” Elliot finally managed to get the lock. The door swung open unexpectedly, causing Elliott to fall forward, and in the process he knocked over the small end table. A ceramic bowl that held their keys as well as a picture of he and Kurt, arms around each other in a selfie pose that they had taken celebrating their first week as roommates smashed to the floor. Damn it, Kurt would be pissed when he got back. 

Elliott began picking up pieces of the bowl as the man stepped in and picked up the photo, and stared at it without speaking. 

“Do you want me to leave a message?” Elliott asked, too busy inspecting the broken pieces of the bowl to really pay attention to the man. 

“I’m Blaine Anderson,” the man said. 

“Ah, Cooper’s brother,” Elliott said. The bowl was only in four parts. That was glueable, right? 

“You know who I am?” Blaine placed the photo back on the stand and frowned. 

“Well, yeah, I’m--”

“I know who you are,” Blaine sharpley interrupted him. “Kurt said he’d be home today.” 

Elliott shrugged. “I’m meeting him at the airport tomorrow morning. That’s all I know.” 

“Oh.” Blaine’s eyes shifted from the photo to the package in his hands. He looked sad. “Well, this is the final script for the play he’s auditioning for. If you could give it to him, I’d appreciate it.” 

“Yeah, no problem.” 

Blaine awkwardly placed the package in Elliott’s hands, turned to leave, then turned back as if he had something to day. 

“Yes?” Elliott asked after a moment. 

Blaine stepped in close so he was an inch or so away from Elliott’s face. “Just...Kurt is a wonderful, magical creature who should be treated with the adoration he deserves,” Blaine said, pointing a finger into Elliott’s chest. 

“Okay?” Elliott wasn’t sure where Blaine was going with it. 

“Don’t forget that,” Blaine added, digging in his finger a little harder. 

“Sure,” Elliott took a step back. Kurt’s friends were confusing. 

Blaine looked like he wanted to say more, but spun on his heel and left. 

Well, he was definitely Cooper Anderson’s brother, Elliott thought. 

///

Elliott mostly forgot about the encounter until Kurt was back in the apartment. 

“Is this a package for me?” Kurt asked, dropping his luggage to excitedly open it up. 

“Yeah, that’s some script for a play?” Elliott said. “Cooper Anderson’s brother dropped it off himself.” 

Kurt froze, his eyes widened with delight. “Really?” 

“Yeah, he’s a little...odd.” 

Kurt was too busy staring at the script in his hands adoringly to notice he had said anything. “I should call him…” his said dreamily. 

“I thought you said the first thing you were going to do when you got back was deal with our unwanted house guest…” 

“Oh, Adam.” Talk about throwing cold water on top of Kurt’s head. “Right.” 

///

“I’ll always love you.” The words echoed hung in the air, even after Adam had closed the door to the apartment. 

Kurt was on the couch, still a little in shock by their conversation. Still a little overwhelmed by the feelings he was, or maybe wasn’t having. 

_I will always love you._ The last thing Adam had said as he got up to leave. Kurt had told him was over, really over this time. That time in Ohio had cleared his head. Kurt hadn’t wanted a revival of that sad drama, he realized. He wanted closure. He wanted to say goodbye. Officially. And he had. 

And then Adam had said… that. 

But you won’t always love me, Kurt thought, slightly annoyed now that he was alone and thinking about it. The whole point of you leaving in the first place was that you didn’t love me enough. Adam always did want to have the last word, have the final thought. But no -- Kurt did now. 

You won’t always love me, and I don’t think I love you. Not anymore. 

Goodbye, Adam. 

For the first time since the whole drama had happened, Kurt felt like he was finally moving on. 

///

“I need to do something that’s really me,” Kurt said to Rachel as they were walking to brunch the next day. “I need to do something that shows them just how much I can do. I know I’ve got it in me, Rach. And I’m ready.” 

“What happened to you in Ohio?” Rachel teased. “You seem more confident - more inspired.” 

“I don’t know, nothing specific really,” Kurt said. “It’s more like a feeling. Maybe finally closing one door is letting another one open.” 

Rachel eyed him suspiciously. “Kurt Hummel, did you finally put the past behind you?” 

“Maybe I finally just have a reason to be looking to the future,” Kurt said with a smile. “And I guess I feel like maybe I can show the rest of the world who I really am.” 

“Oh! Kurt, I have the perfect song for you to do at the audition!” 

///

Kurt didn’t see Blaine before the audition. A week had passed since he had returned from Ohio. He had texted Blaine nearly every day - even if it was about more superficial things. But he was as anxious to see Blaine as he was to do the audition. Blaine was, however, understandably busy with getting the show up and running. So when his audition slot had come up, seeing Blaine in the audience was the first time they had been in the same room since he returned. 

Also, he learned, in the audience was Artie Abrams - the director of the show, Trent - Blaine’s friend and former classmate who had written the original script, and June Dolloway herself. Definitely no pressure there. 

He performed ‘Not the Boy Next Door’ from The Boy From Oz - gold lame pants and all - pulled out all the stops. He dazzled, he flirted, he shook his hips, and he hit that run up the scale like he had never done before. It may have been the greatest performance he ever gave. He couldn’t read his audience - except for Blaine, who stood and clapped and grinned proudly. 

It never occurred to him that the performance would be too much. 

///

On the way out of the theater, he bumped into Sam and Mercedes heading in. 

“Well, you told Rachel, who told Mercedes, who told me that they need more guys for this thing,” Sam explained. “And, well, I need a job, and Mercedes told me I have a great voice. So why not? I can do a little swaying in the back, maybe show everyone a special dance move or two.” 

Sam rolled his hips, making Mercedes blush. Kurt was less concerned about Sam’s audition than he was about the two of them attempting a discreet relationship. 

“So, uh, you guys are spending more time together since karaoke night?” Kurt asked. 

Mercedes put her head in her hand. Sam looked away, pretending the question wasn’t asked. They then looked at each other and giggled. 

Kurt was happy for them. 

///

Blaine asked Kurt to coffee three days later. 

As they sat down for coffee, Kurt found that he couldn’t keep his eyes off Blaine. Was it just him, or had Blaine managed to grow more handsome over the past three weeks?

Which made Blaine’s distance feel even more alarming. 

“Kurt, I need to talk to you about your audition.” 

Kurt felt a familiar turn in his stomach. “You guys hated it.” 

“No, no, no,” Blaine said, almost too quickly. “ I mean, personally, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone who radiates on stage like you do.” 

A kind thing to say but there was a but. There was always a but...

“But,” Blaine said. “Others may not have felt the same way.” 

“Do you mind if I ask - what was it about my audition? I mean, I put all of myself out there.” 

“I know, and that’s recognized, I promise. But, Kurt - this is a musical about a boarding school, and about how we all kind of work as one big team. It doesn’t necessarily work if…”

“Someone pulls all the focus?” 

Blaine played with his coffee cup. He didn’t have to say anything to let Kurt know he was right. 

Kurt deflated. “Of course…So, am I just doo-wopping behind you, or do they not want me in it at all?” 

“Kurt,” Blaine reached out, placed a friendly hand on his arm. “Well, it was two against two, because quite frankly Trent loved you, too. So we talked to June and Artie and they’ve agreed to give you the part of Bryan’s, that’s my part, best friend Jack. He’s only in a couple of scenes, but he has an entire song, and is really pretty memorable if you ask me.” 

Kurt felt a little conflicted. His life was always two steps forward, one step back. Still… a show was a show. At least he wasn’t just a nameless person in the chorus. And Blaine had went to bat for him. That had meant something. 

“So,” Blaine said slowly. “Did you…” Blaine looked as though he wanted to say something, but couldn’t quite bring himself to do so. 

“Yes?”

“Did you want to hear about the changes June wanted make to the script?”

“Oh,” that wasn’t what Kurt had expected. “Sure, do tell.” 

They slipped easily into conversation, like old friends catching up, talking about anything and everything. Except, Kurt realized later, about Adam. Kurt hadn’t even thought of bringing him up, and Blaine never asked. Maybe that was one conversation they didn’t need to have…


	10. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Klaine Advent Day 10: Judgment
> 
> Thanks Snarkyhag for the beta!

Rehearsal for Kurt’s scene had ended about an hour ago. He stood, leaning against the back wall watching the current scene on stage unfold - for maybe the tenth time. Why he had decided to stay at the theater, clearly against his better judgment, was beyond him. But he remained, captivated by what was happening on stage. 

There were only two people up there. Blaine was playing his character Bryan - suave and charming, being a little minx, looking for his prey. The prey, Devon, was played by Sam Evans of all people. Kurt got it. He did. Devon was sweet, kind, and a bit oblivious at times. This character wasn’t much different than who Sam was in real life, or even the character he had in the Christmas movie he had done with Kurt. Devon is completely unaware of Bryan’s interest - until Bryan let him know, blatantly in this scene. 

Kurt’s own character wasn’t so bad. Jack was shy, closed off, and secretly in love with his best friend. It would remain an unrequited love - and for his own song he could channel his own version of Eponine from Les Mis. It wasn’t much of an acting challenge. 

Funny, he missed the film set a little. There was no Cooper pointing in his face, telling him to be gayer. There was no fake snow, or strange Brittany logic. There was no director like Artie, telling him that he needs grasp onto his inner fruit, pining for the day his berry is picked. 

Artie was currently stopping the scene in its tracks. “Sam, you can’t play completely innocent in this scene. I need a little more - oomph from you. He’s the cat, you’re the mouse, but you know you’re the mouse which makes you really the cat.” 

“So, I’m a cat?” Sam said, looking perplexed and slightly uncomfortable being mostly under Blaine on the couch. “Is this the point where he’s going to kiss me?” 

Blaine reddened, a little. “Sam, that’s the point of the scene. I thought you said--I thought you were okay with that.” Blaine stood up and took a step back. 

“No, it’s fine,” Sam said, even with the discomfort. “It’s just - so early in the play.”

“Oh, maybe there should be more tension,” Artie said, excitedly. “Yes, maybe it’s an almost kiss - that way it’ll throw the audience. You’re brilliant, Sam!”

Kurt rolled his eyes. He liked Sam, but brilliant he was not. Kurt had half a mind to go up there and show them how the scene was really supposed to be played. How to be the flirt and the tease that the character was obviously written to be. Play with Blaine’s, no Bryan’s tie a little, come in close and pull away last second, then take control when they got to the couch. He’d pull Blaine, er, Bryan on top of him and draw him tauntingly close until giving in at the last second to plant the world’s most passionate kiss on him. Then maybe test the waters, slip his tongue into Blaine’s mouth and...

Shit. Was it getting really hot in there? He really should go home. 

Kurt went down to his dressing room to collect his things. While he was down there, he noticed he had a few messages - one from Rachel wanting to know if he’d do dinner with her, one from Elliott claiming he had found a piece of pottery Kurt might like, and one from his manager - the manager who hadn’t spoken to him since the wrap up of the TV-movie, telling him that they was going to be a little bit of press for it. The last one was odd - press? For a TV-movie? And besides, it was only August. The movie couldn’t be coming out so soon, right? 

He couldn’t tell if any of it was good or bad, so he gave his manager a quick call. His manager didn’t have much info for him, other than a place and time to do said press, but at least they had an air date, too. Two weeks from now. The network was doing an end of the summer Christmas bash. Which… made absolutely no sense. If they had good ratings, maybe they’d actually run the movie at Christmas time, too. 

When the phone call was squared away, Kurt headed out for the evening. But instead of just leaving, Kurt took the long way around, taking one last peek inside the actual theater. To Kurt’s surprise, Blaine was on stage, alone, pacing. There was no Artie, no Sam, no assortment of random assistants. Just Blaine, lost in his own thoughts. Curious, Kurt slipped in, and down the aisle, mostly unnoticed. 

“What are you doing?” Kurt asked when he reached the stage. 

“Oh,” he had startled Blaine out of his concentration. “Just going over some blocking. Artie and Sam stopped to get some dinner, but I’m not really hungry, so I thought I’d just go over this one again. Make sure I can get the beats right. I keep missing my marks.” 

“Need some help?”

Blaine thought it over a moment, hesitant at first, but then held out his hand to help Kurt on stage. “Sure.” 

The stage was already set up to be a lounge at the boarding school, all wood paneling and leather furniture, in rich, warm colors, and even a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. He had been up there plenty of times already, but still he had to give the set designers some real credit. Kurt couldn’t imagine going to school at a place like this - it was almost.. .magical.

Blaine, meanwhile, was going over the steps of the scene, maneuvering around the small table and chairs, past the fireplace, and around one of the two couches. Kurt remained quiet as he watched how easily Blaine glided, almost as if dancing, around the room. 

“The problem I’m having is that I feel like I’m coming on too strong,” Blaine said, as he came back to where Kurt was standing. He moved in close, grinned that charming grin of his, winked, then backed away - back into serious thought. “I feel like it’s almost - predatory.” 

“Well, it doesn’t help that Sam plays it as if he doesn’t know what’s going on,” Kurt skipped past him, pretending he was unaware of Blaine’s presence. “From what I got from the script, Devon knows exactly what’s going on.” Then Kurt backed up again, right into Blaine’s chest, and batted his eyes. 

“Well, to a point,” Blaine said with a laugh. He moved around the couch so it was between them, sitting backwards on his knees, facing Kurt, but still with a barrier between them. “He’s aware and being purposely obtuse because he isn’t sure how far he wants to get into it with Bryan. Bryan’s, well, known around school.” 

“Right, but there’s something there,” Kurt said. He moved over the back of the couch to play with Blaine’s bowtie. “Something that’s peaked Devon’s interest. Like he’s playing with fire, and he shouldn’t, but his instincts are telling him to go for it.” 

“Yeah, but sometimes following your gut instinct doesn’t always prove the best choice,” Blaine said. He moved off the couch, and over to the fireplace, pretending to take interest in the little figurines setting on the mantel. 

Kurt followed, and brushed up against Blaine’s shoulder, pretending he was interested in the figurines, too. “Well, the script would say otherwise.” 

Blaine backed away, and headed to the piano in the corner. Kurt followed, sitting on the bench as Blaine leaned against the side. “The script diverged from real life.” 

“Oh?” 

“So, this is probably weird to even talk about…” Blaine plunked a few notes on the high end, as the mood shifted from playful to more serious.

“What is it?” 

“Devon is actually me,” Blaine admitted. “Or, at least based on me. Trent used my middle name and everything. And this whole thing is a little surreal.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Blaine moved away again, this time to lean up against the back of the couch. “And Bryan’s actually based on my first... well, boyfriend would have been too much of a commitment for him. Let’s say the first guy I seriously fooled around with. He was always up to no good, and knew exactly what he was doing. I was kind of dumb and naive. This play is just helping me see that.” 

“We can’t all be held accountable for all of our past mistakes, can we?”

“No - but not all of us are forced to relive them, either,” Blaine gave a frown. “At least I can make Bryan less smarmy.” 

“So - if you don’t mind me asking, were any other characters from your real life?” Kurt got up, and moved to lean against the couch as well, though leaving a bit of space between them. 

“Did you have one in mind?” Blaine said, shooting him a knowing look.

“Who was Jack?” 

“Trent.” 

“Trent!?” 

“Yeah, he was in love with me for years,” Blaine said. “Never said anything, though, and we all moved on. He’s dating a pretty nice guy now. I wonder what would have happened if he had.”

“A chance in the script, I suppose.” Kurt began to inch closer. 

“Actually, Bryan and Devon ending up together was one of June’s edits,” Blaine said, looking out into space, not noticing Kurt slowly moving along the back of the couch towards him. “It was originally supposed to be Jack and Devon, while Bryan learned a few well needed life lessons. Shame it had to change.” 

“Why’s that?” Kurt asked, his voice nearly a whisper as he pushed in against him. Blaine was warm and soft, and Kurt felt so comfortable against him. He had to feel it, too, right? This wasn’t just a game being played out on stage - that there was a real spark between the two of them. A connection. Kurt wasn’t sure he had ever felt so comfortable with someone so easily. 

Blaine turned his head, his golden eyes wide. Kurt couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and he wondered if Blaine’s heart was racing as well. It wouldn’t take much to close what little gap was between them. “I like Sam a lot, but I would have much rather have had you as a scene partner.” 

Kiss him - Kurt’s head screamed. KISS HIM! 

“Blaine?” Artie had arrived back in the theater. The two of them broke away from each other, the moment gone. “Kurt, what are you still doing here?” 

“Nothing,” Kurt said, feigning innocence. 

“Just going through the scene,” Blaine said. 

“We need to get back to work,” Artie said. “Kurt’ you’re not in this one, off the stage.” 

Kurt stole a moment to whisper into Blaine’s ear. “I think we should practice again sometime.” 

Blaine’s face reddened slightly. Kurt, a smirk on his lips, couldn’t help but take the moment to tug on Blaine’s bowtie again, leaving Blaine confused as he left the stage.


	11. Thriller or Heads Will Roll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for Klaine Advent Day 11: Key
> 
> Thank you to the supremely suburb @snarkyhag for betaing!!

“So, the whole thing lasted about an hour, I was asked, like, three questions, and that was it,” Kurt said. He and Blaine were getting coffee at the local shop down the street from the theater; the same ritual they’ve had for the past few weeks. 

“Wait - so this whole big press thing, wasn’t really a press thing?” Blaine asked, as he paid the barista. He had also bought a couple of sugar cookies, and without a word, handed one over to Kurt. 

“Not really,” Kurt said. “I’m guessing the little clips will air during commercial breaks? The whole thing is kind of depressing. I mean, they’re going to air this in a few days – in August! Not even for the whole Christmas in July thing. And then it’ll be swept under the rug and forgotten, not even dragged out for those holiday marathons the network does every year in December.”

They sat at their usual table, in their usual spots across from one another. Blaine tilted his head and watched as Kurt played with the plastic lid on his coffee. 

“I thought that’s what you wanted?” Blaine asked. “I mean, for the movie to be buried and forgotten about. It’s not like you’ve been exactly raving about it. Even Cooper has managed to forget about its existence. Mostly. Though Cooper does have a hard time focusing on anything other than what’s right in front of him.” 

Kurt gave a little shrug. “I know, but I guess I can’t help but think that all I’m doing is going from one absolute failure to the next. Maybe I should be buried and forgotten about, too.” 

“Hey,” Blaine reached out his hand and grabbed it. “I don’t think you’re a failure.”

Kurt gave him a smile, happy for the reassurance, even if he didn’t fully believe it himself.

“Ku-urt!” A familiar voice rang through the coffeeshop. It was Rachel, with Jesse following not far behind. She promptly sat down at the table, squishing herself to Kurt’s left as Jesse sat next to Blaine. “I knew I’d find you here. I’ve been wanting to come here for ages and, oh my god, this is so much lovelier than I thought it would be - you never know with these places. Sometimes a cute little cafe, all rustic and inspirational, sometimes a front for the mafia. Remember the time I tried to use that barber shop and almost wound up murdered? Oh, hey is that sugar cookie? Kurt - I told you that you should cut out cookies or else you’ll get back the baby fat in your cheeks you had during high school.”

Kurt took a deliberate large bite out of his cookie. “Hello, Rachel, what brings you here at this exact moment in time?”

Rachel lit up. “Oh, now that it’s official I can finally tell you. I’ve been cast in a one-woman show! And everything about it sounds amazing! It’s this tear-jerking, gut-wrenching play written by this first time writer who’s had accolades from professors at NYU, and she asked me, after seeing me in my pivotal portrayal of Janet in Rocky Horror, to do the honors of portraying her mother in this play. We’re going live in just a few months!”

“So, looks like your little boyhood boarding school play is going to have some competition this fall,” Jesse said. “Because Rachel’s really going to shine.” 

“Well,” Blaine said, “say what you want about my little play…our well funded, Broadway acclaimed cast and crew, which includes having the one of the best up-and-coming stars I’ve ever seen,” he gave a wink to Kurt, “is going to rock the Broadway world. But please, tell me about your show.” Jesse and Rachel sat stunned as Blaine went back to finishing his cookie. 

Kurt smirked. “Rachel, this is Blaine. Blaine, Rachel.” 

Well,” Rachel said, obviously in competition mode now. “We already have a marketing strategy ready. I’ve barely seen a poster related to your show.” She dug through her purse and fetched out her phone, quickly shoving it into Kurt’s face. “We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Snap-Chat, Reddit - well Jesse’s running a Reddit thread but there’s just a lot of foul-mouthed weirdos on there, and we have three interviews set up with prestigious Broadway sites.” 

“Oh my god, Rachel, you’re naked!” Kurt said, as he flipped through the photogallery she had pulled up on her phone. It’s not like he’s seen Rachel nude before - she had a tendency to be pretty open about her body when they were roommates - but he had never seen her like this, on a public website no less. 

Rachel seemed unphased. “Well, yes, most of the show I’m naked.” 

“It’s classy,” Jesse added. “And Rachel has a fantastic ass and perky boobs.” Kurt cringed, Blaine looked away. “And should not be ashamed of how amazing she is. The show is about being open - on the inside and on the outside.”

“Really?” Kurt asked sarcastically. 

“Look - see, we already have a million followers on this one,” Rachel said, pointing to the number on the screen.

“That’s because you’re naked,” Kurt shot back. 

Rachel pouted, grabbing her phone back. 

In the meantime, Mercedes and Sam had come into the coffeeshop, ordered coffee, and were coming up to the table, Mercedes pulling up a chair to Kurt’s right, while Sam slid into an empty chair next to Blaine. 

“Hey guys! I thought we’d find you here,” Mercedes said. “Hope you don’t mind that we joined you. I could hear Kurt and Rachel arguing from the line.” 

Rachel rolled her eyes as they all got snug around the table, which was now getting too small for their crowd.

“Anyway,” Kurt said, deliberately changing the subject. “What are you up to, Mercedes?”

“Oh, Sam and I were just out,” she said, looking adoringly at Sam. 

“Yeah, Mercedes is helping me get all of these modeling auditions,” Sam said excitedly. “I actually have this one I’m excited about. I’d be doing ads for sports stores - most likely football since the season starts soon.”

“Ooh, I love football,” Kurt said. 

“Kurt,” Blaine said “the only thing you like about football is that the guys wear pants tight enough appreciate all their assets.” Blaine gave him a wink and a smirk, a flirtatious smirk if Kurt didn’t know better, before taking a sip of his coffee. 

Kurt looked at him suspiciously. Then underneath the table, Kurt stretched out his leg, and daringly ran his foot up Blaine’s calf. Blaine, however, didn’t seem to notice. 

“Kurt, is there a reason you are using your foot to caress my leg?” Jesse asked.

“Nope, just a cramp.”

Mercedes laughed into her coffee. 

“Hey, look, it’s all my special friends.” This time it was Brittany who was joining them. She bounced up to Kurt, and gave him a huge hug from behind. “Hello, favorite unicorn.” 

“Uh, hey Brit,” Kurt replied. “Let me introduce-”

“No need,” Brittany said, pulling a chair from another table to push her way in-between Kurt and Rachel. “Obviously, you’re my favorite unicorn friend. And there’s your boyfriend,” she said pointing to Sam, who gave her a weird look. “And your other boyfriend.” She pointed to Blaine.

“Oh, no, Kurt and I are just friends,” Blaine said. 

Kurt’s face fell, crestfallen. He brought his previously roaming foot next to the other, feeling foolish for trying to flirt. What was he even doing?

“Your snapchats would say otherwise,” Brittany said without explanation. “And that’s the next Beyonce over there.” Mercedes smiled at the compliment. “And this is the loud girl, who Santana says needs a boob job if she’s going to try to make it as a porn star.”

“It’s not a porno!”

Brittany ignored Rachel. “And the guy over there is my old choir director’s illegitimate son.”

Jesse gave her a strange look.

“Brittany, how do you know all of this?” Kurt asked, not sure if he liked the idea of Brittany knowing so much about all of his friends. 

“Lord Tubbington stalks all of you,” Brittany said, as if not sure what the problem was. “He just wanted to make sure you were all safe before I invite you to my webshow Fondue for Two.”

“That’s it,” Blaine said suddenly. “Kurt, that’s the key - if you want people to see your movie, let’s flood all the online possibilities. We can get the word out on all those social media sites. If it’s already working for Rachel, there’s no reason it won’t work for you. You guys need to do something big.”

“I am not taking off my clothes for this,” Kurt said, which made Blaine chuckled and Rachel groan. 

“Is it strange that we should worry Cooper might?” Blaine asked.

“I’m not shooting myself out of a cannon again,” Brittany said, to everyone’s confusion. 

“I meant,” Blaine continued, “maybe you guys can do a live premiere party or something. If your network won’t put in the leg work, why don’t you guys.”

“Blaine, that’s brilliant,” Kurt replied. 

“You know, Blaine gets all his brilliance from me.” And that was when Cooper arrived, all toothy grins, and his arm around a blonde woman with glasses that he had never seen before. Blaine rolled his eyes and sunk a little lower in his chair. Kurt wondered why he and Blaine’s normally quiet morning coffee time was continually being interrupted. 

“Coop, what are you doing here?” Blaine asked.

Cooper beamed - as if waiting for an opening to start his act. “Hello, little brother. Best friend. Best friend’s boyfriend. Fake girlfriend. And other people I don’t know, but I know will make a fantastic audience. I know what you’re thinking - why would such a renowned actor of my status be found in a Friends-knock-off coffee lounge. Well, I’ll tell you. I, Cooper J. Anderson, am in love. And when I saw you through the window, Blainey, I needed to tell you straight away that I have found the most wonderful person on the planet.” The woman let out a delighted little squeal. “Her name is Arby.” 

“Like the restaurant?” Mercedes asked, confused. 

“You see, this morning, I was walking to my agent’s to see if they had any new work for me, and pondered some new poses for updated headshots,” Cooper paused to pose. There was scattered and uneasy applause. “And then, I saw her. This woman, protesting in a church’s parking lot. I’ve never seen anyone who pointed with such intensity. I had to compliment her. And then our eyes met and it was like lightning. I felt it. She felt it. We both felt it as we made passionate love in the back of that car. I know now that I have found the person that I am supposed to be with.”

“God, isn’t he amazing?!?” Arby shrieked. 

Cooper began to kiss her face. Everyone else groaned. 

“So, Brittany,” Kurt said doing his best to ignore them. “Tell me about this webshow you have.” 

Cooper pulled off his new girlfriend. “Did you say webshow? Will it be live?”

///

_Brittany: Hello! And welcome back to our very special live edition of Fondue For Two. We are getting you all psyched up to watch my new, brilliant, TV-movie, as well as doing interviews with the cast. With me now is Sam Evans. Sam, the viewers want to be know, how do you feel to officially come out on this movie?_

_Sam: Um, Brittany - I’m not actually gay. I mean, I’m totally cool with it - and I’m trying to be a good ally. I just play gay on TV. And on stage._

_Brittany: Are you sure? Because Santana says those lips were definitely made for sucking on balls…_

_Sam: What?!_

_Brittany: Personally, I think they’re like two big pillows to rest your lips on…_

_Sam: I don’t…I’ve never had… uh, shout out to my wonderful girlfriend, Mercedes Jones!_

Kurt was running just a little behind. It was hard to decide what exactly to wear to a live screening of a made-for-TV-movie-slash-web-show interview. He chose his favorite pair of skinny jeans with a black vest and red button down, and arriving at the banquet hall just as Brittany was wrapping up her interview with Sam. 

“Trying to be fashionably late to your own show?” Blaine met him near the entrance and handed him a glass of wine. And if Kurt wasn’t mistaken, Blaine took a long moment to notice what he was wearing. 

“Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from your brother, it’s always make an entrance,” Kurt said. Blaine laughed. “Wow, this place… Santana really out did herself, didn’t she?”

Brittany’s girlfriend took charge on the whole ‘do a live show’ thing. The banquet hall was decked out with Christmas decorations, a fake tree near where Brittany was filming her web show, Christmas lights hung from the ceiling, and all of the chairs facing the large screen where they’d be watching the TV-movie that night had red and green garland taped to the back of them. There were a ton of people, too, most of them mingling near the buffet on the far side of the room. Kurt didn’t know who they were, but suspected that many of them might be reporters… or an odd hodgepodge of Brittany’s friends. It was hard to say. But there were plenty of people from production there as well – crew members, extras, and a few of the supporting cast. It was a mini-reunion. 

“I think it’s sweet,” Blaine said. “Brittany’s girlfriend wanting to support her by putting this all together.” 

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far,” Kurt said, taking a sip of his wine. “Santana’s job is public relations. I’m sure she got some kind of compensation from the network for doing it.” 

“I saw them chatting earlier, Brittany and Santana,” Blaine said. “And Santana seemed to have nothing but adoration for Brittany. You know, I like to think that some people do things for others just for the sake of doing something nice.”

“You really haven’t met Santana, have you.” 

“Where’s your sense of romanticism?”

“I used it all up in this performance,” Kurt joked. “And what’s left is this old cynic.”

“I don’t believe that,” Blaine said, giving him a tiny nudge in the arm. 

Not a moment later, Kurt was being summoned over to the corner to do his interview with Brittany. Brittany grasped at him quickly the moment she was in reach, excited about the interview, and the atmosphere in general. She was in her zone, and it made her glow in a way Kurt had never seen before. 

“Hello, viewers out there,” she told the camera. “I have a very special guest for you now. He’s one of my favorite people that I met on set, even if he doesn’t know his own place in the story – Kurt Hummel.” Brittany applauded for him. 

“Uh, thank you?” He gave a little wave to the camera. The bored tech guy behind it yawned. 

“So, Kurt, tell us what it’s like to be in love?”

“…You mean on the show or…”

“On the show obviously,” Brittany said, rolling her eyes. “I mean, in real life you’re a stick in the mud who doesn’t believe in love.”

“I have never said that.”

Brittany clicked her tongue. “Well, if you were in love, you wouldn’t be single. You’d have a tiny, compact boyfriend who smells like raspberries, and who believes in his own magic the way you don’t believe in yours.”

“Well, I…love is…” Kurt looked up, past the bored tech guy and the camera, across the room, to where Blaine was standing, chatting with Brittany’s girlfriend. Santana was actually smiling, as if enjoying his company. Kurt didn’t think he had ever seen Santana genuinely smile that. Of course, Blaine could charm anyone… 

“Love is what, Kurt?” Brittany’s question hung in the air. 

“Love is…” – unexpected?

Kurt wasn’t sure he had felt quite like this before, as he watched Blaine warmly work his way around the room. 

There was so much he liked about Blaine - the way he was so kind to others, the way he laughed so easily, the way they could talk or text until 2am, the way Blaine always had a drink ready for him, or the way he put his hand on the small of Kurt’s back as they walked into a new room. Or the way their voices sounded when they sang together. He didn’t just like Blaine. He was falling in love with Blaine. 

But his past experiences with love had always been so hard. And everything about Blaine felt so easy. Was that really what love was?

Blaine, almost instinctively, looked in his direction, and from across the room, their eyes locked. And Blaine held on, almost as if reading Kurt’s mind. 

Kurt wanted to chase that look. And suddenly he felt very nervous - but in a good way. They didn’t really need to see this movie, right? Even if it was Blaine’s idea, and his movie, and Blaine’s brother’s show, and he said he’d be there. He and Blaine could just be alone. Why were they never just alone?

“Kurt…?”

“Sorry, Brittany, there’s something I’ve got to do.” 

Kurt abruptly stopped the interview, though Brittany didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she almost looked excited. But Kurt didn’t pay her much attention as he made his way across the room. 

It was time - time to ask Blaine out on a real date. Time to let these feelings be more than bottled up inside him. Time to see if Blaine really did feel the same way. 

“Hey, Blaine-” Kurt’s heart fluttered. 

Blaine looked at him eagerly - waiting. “Yes?”

“There’s something I wanted to ask you about, but, uh…”

“Hey, Kurt, I’m glad I found you.” Elliott arrived, guitar in hand, and band in tow. He threw an easy arm around Kurt’s shoulders. “You will not believe how lost we got trying to get here. I texted you. Dude, you need to check your phone more often. We’re still singing tonight, right? Where am I supposed to set up?”

“Uh…” Kurt didn’t even know Elliott’s band was playing tonight, let alone what to do with them. “I have no idea - Santana’s running the show somewhere. I’m sure you can find her, there’s something I was doing…”

“Kurt, go ahead and take care of them,” Blaine said, giving a disappointed frown to the floor. “I should probably go any way.” 

“What? Blaine, you can’t leave - the movie hasn’t started,” Kurt said. “And Cooper hasn’t even arrived.”

“I know,” Blaine said softly. He was avoiding Kurt’s eyes, and Kurt didn’t understand why. “But I have an early call time. And I wouldn’t want to disrupt your night.”

“But - Blaine.” He reached out for Blaine’s hand, but Blaine took an unexpected step back. What had just happened? He looked up at Elliott, but Elliott only shrugged. 

“Night, Kurt. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Blaine proceeded to give him the most awkward hug, before turning to leave. 

Kurt wanted to run after him, but before he could he was met by Cooper Anderson entering the room. Cooper insisted Kurt follow him, all but dragging him and a few of the other cast members back over to where Brittany was hosting her show. Cooper then pushed Brittany’s current subject - one of the crew members - out of the way so he could be in full view of the camera. 

“Hello my dear, dear audience - made up of friends, colleagues, and people of the internet,” Cooper announced, loud enough that everyone had stopped to watch him. “The time has come for what you’ve all been waiting for. I, Cooper J Anderson, have taken the stage. And I want to thank you, all of you, and especially my new superbly hot girlfriend Arby, for being here.” Cooper took a dramatic pause, and pointed to where his girlfriend was standing on the side of the crowd. “You see - we are here to witness one of the great cinematic pieces of our time. And in order to enhance the experience, I am willing to give back. Some may call this a publicity stunt, but I call it good press. So, my dear audience, you will have not just me - but all of me tonight.”

And with that, in front of the hundred or so people in the room, and the thousand or so people watching live online - Cooper Anderson tore away his shirt and pants until he was wearing only a thong, and proceeded to shake his ass at the camera. 

Kurt’s jaw dropped to the floor.

Cooper’s new girlfriend gave a shriek of delight. And then promptly fainted.


	12. Firework

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Klaine Advent Day 12: Limited
> 
> Thank you Snarky for the beta <3

Kurt was pretty sure he had had this fantasy once -- being trapped in a room full of very attractive guys in prep school outfits. The reality of it was much less than ideal. Brett, who sat on the couch to his left, smelled as though he hadn’t showered in about a week. Tyler, on the other side, kept elbowing him whenever he had a line - or became too enthusiastic following the plot. Sean, who was standing behind the couch, had on a staticy sweater that kept messing up his hair. Kurt kept glancing to the clock on the wall, hoping this would eventually all be over. 

They were one week before the start of the show, and to the point where their run-throughs were in-costume.

There was still one scene, however, that was taking forever to get through, and Artie was having them run it multiple times to get the timing right. The entire cast was on stage where Sam’s character was getting advice on his love life and all the other guys in the school, apparently, needed to weigh in. Blaine had told him it was a scene straight out of his own life - when he had asked for help to serenade some guy who worked at the mall. The scene was utterly ridiculous.

The only bright spot was that he was able to stare at Blaine without fear of really being noticed. He was supposed to be looking adoringly at Sam - the object of his unrequited affection. But it was easy enough to shift his eyes slightly to the left and watch Blaine. Blaine - who looked like he was born to wear the dark blue blazer; Blaine - who kept breaking character and sneaking looks over to Kurt, even once giving him a wink; Blaine - who was undoubtedly and by far the most interesting person in the room. Forget the prep school fantasy of guys fawning all over him. He just wanted one guy. Very badly. To the point that he felt like he was going to explode if something didn’t happen soon.

Kurt began to spend more of the rehearsal time doodling in his notebook. No one was paying any attention to him, it’s not like he was integral to the story anyway. Thinking about his own time as a teenager, he drew a little heart, and without helping himself, wrote a little K + B inside. Then, feeling foolish because he was an adult now, crossed it out. 

After rehearsal, Kurt took his time getting out of costume. The other guys had all left in a hurry but he knew Blaine had held back to talk with Artie, so he lingered, hoping to catch Blaine as he left. Kurt pretended to be focusing on his phone when Blaine finally made his way back to the dressing rooms. 

“Waiting for me?” Blaine asked with a grin, lightly brushing his arm. 

“What, no?” Kurt tried to play it cool, but subtlety had never been his forte and he began to fumble over his own words. “Rachel is having a meltdown over her show and needed some advice right now. You’ve met her - you know what she’s like. So, I had to text her. It’s fine now, though.”

“Uh-huh.”

Kurt wasn’t sure why he was being so defensive. It wasn’t like he and Blaine didn’t walk out together nearly every night. 

“Well, I’m glad you waited,” Blaine said. “Wanna get a late coffee or something? I was wondering if you wanted to help with marketing strategy -- you know, since your movie had such success. Artie has some questionable ideas... I mean I know he’s the director, but I’m not entirely sure I like the direction he’s going. He wants to do something gritty and artsy - something about bags floating in the wind.”

While he talked, Blaine took off the blazer, and carefully put it on its hanger -- then proceeded to undress the rest of the way until he was down to his undershirt and boxers. Kurt tried to focus on whatever weird marketing decision Artie was making and not on Blaine’s well-defined arms. Not on the tease of chest hair. Kurt bit his lip. Marketing, right. 

“Sure, I’d be happy to give you my opinion.”

Blaine bent over to fish something out of his duffle bag -- his boxer-clad butt now on glorious display in front of Kurt. 

“Butt…” Kurt choked out. Oh god! Why did he just say that?

Blaine turned to give him an odd look. “But what?”

_Just do it Hummel just do it dammit_

“But,” Kurt said, trying to recover quickly. “Actually, I was wondering if, maybe, you’d like to have dinner?”

“Oh, sure,” Blaine said easily. He was already scrolling through his phone (the thing he took out of his bag), and apparently not aware of how nervous Kurt was in asking. “I’ve been meaning to try the new hotdog stand around the corner. Apparently, Trent says they have amazing chili dogs.”

“Well, actually,” Kurt’s voice was slightly higher than usual. Why was this so hard? It was Blaine. Everything had been easy with Blaine. This should be easy. “I was thinking maybe some place nicer? Like the Italian place next to my place?”

“Isn’t that place a little fancy?” Blaine’s eyes were still glued to his phone. 

“Well, yeah, but maybe we could meet there in, say, an hour. Time to change and look nice and…”

“Oh, my god!” Blaine’s eyes were wide from whatever he had been reading on his phone. “This is kind of crazy.” 

“What?”

“Jerry just asked me out.”

_Jerry? Who the hell was Jerry?_

“Um, who?” Kurt tried to stay calm. 

“You know Jerry - he’s in charge of lighting for the show,” Blaine said. “We’ve been out for coffee a few times. He’s been trying to come out - so I’ve been helping him with that.”

“Seriously?”

Kurt, literally, had no idea who Blane was talking about. But more so, they had been spending nearly all their time together -- when the hell did Blaine have time to have a few coffee dates with someone who wasn’t him. And why didn’t Blaine tell him? And what the fuck was his life?

“And, you know, he just texted me asking if I’d like to go out on a real date.”

This could not be happening… 

“And…” Kurt waited, unable to read what Blaine was thinking. 

“Well, he’s sweet and nice, and this has been difficult for him,” Blaine said, with too much interest for Kurt’s taste. “Maybe I should say yes.”

“Just because you’re helping him doesn’t mean you owe him a date, Blaine,” Kurt said, a little too sharply. 

Blaine flinched, surprised at his outburst, but let it drop. “Anyway, you were talking about an Italian food.”

The moment was ruined, Kurt was too annoyed. “You know what, chili dogs sound fine. And Blaine?”

“Yeah?’

“Will you please put some pants on?”

///

The next evening, Kurt sat in between Rachel and Mercedes on Rachel’s couch, the three of them with their feet on the coffee table, as Rachel fluttered on about her show and Mercedes flipped through the channels on the TV for something to watch. It was their weekly best friend’s night - but Kurt was in a sour mood, munching overly-buttered popcorn, trying not to think about Blaine. 

“Hey, look what’s on again!” Mercedes said, delighted when Kurt’s face filled the screen. Rachel squealed and clapped her hands, excited for Kurt. Kurt’s TV-movie had been running almost on a daily marathon. It was fun, he’ll admit, to see himself on TV - but the novelty wore off quickly. 

“Haven’t you guys seen this enough times already?”

“Yes, but look how cute you are on the TV,” Mercedes said - proceeding to give him a pinch on the cheek. Kurt rolled his eyes.

“Kurt, you should be thrilled!” Rachel said, shaking him. “All the press worked. Didn’t you say the network is going to make it the staple of the holiday season? You should be proud of what you did.”

“You mean of what Cooper’s ass did.” 

“Well, it is a nice ass.”

“I’ve seen better.” Blaine in his underwear flashed in his mind again, making Kurt blush. He was glad they had the lights off. 

“Our point,” Mercedes continued, side-eyeing Rachel, “is that you should be happy. Sure, it’s a cheesy TV-feel-good-movie. But it’ll lead to good things.” 

“Okay, fine,” Kurt gave in. “But that doesn’t mean we need to watch it every time it’s on.”

Mercedes ribbed him, but taking the hint, began to flip channels again. “Let’s see… oh, guys When Harry Met Sally.”

Kurt groaned. 

“Kurt, you love When Harry Met Sally,” Rachel cooed. “This is like your favorite movie of all time.” 

“Yeah, when I was sixteen,” Kurt said. He watched the TV for a second - Billy Crystal giving his declaration of love to Meg Ryan at New Year’s - a moment that used to make his romantic heart melt. But maybe Brittany was right. Maybe he was just a cynic now. “It’s just so -- unrealistic. I mean, who really hooks up with their best friend? Sometimes your best friends are you best friends for a reason. And...it’s better, you know, to keep them separate.”

“Sure,” Rachel said, unconvinced.

“Uh-huh,” Mercedes added, giving Rachel a knowing look. 

“What?”

“You know Jesse and I were friends before we started dating,” Rachel said.

“You were not,” Kurt replied quickly. “You jumped into that relationship when your other relationship with Brody started to go down hill.”

“Jesse and I have known each other for a while now, Kurt,” Rachel said. “We met when I first came to New York, but at the time I was figuring things out with Finn and he had a girlfriend, and we didn’t line up just right -- and we were friends. Until one day we figured things out and we became more than that. And I think one of the reasons he and I are working is because we had that friendship first.” 

“And, to be honest, I still think of Sam as my friend more than my boyfriend,” Mercedes said. “That’s still weird to think about, to be honest. But Sam is cool taking it slow, and we’re both really happy.”

“And I am happy for you,” Kurt said, his sincerity authentic. He wasn’t so cold that he couldn’t see how happy his friends were in their lives. “But considering the state of my love life lately - or lack of one, I don’t exactly get excited of overly sentimental things anymore. Or movies that give you way too high expectations for what to expect in life.”

Rachel gave Mercedes another knowing look. God, that meant they were gossiping about him when he wasn’t there again. 

“Kurt, this wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain raven-haired, dreamboat co-star would it?” Rachel asked.

“Who just happens to be the far more tolerable and handsome younger brother of your previous co-star,” Mercedes added with a grin.

Damn, they had been gossiping. 

“Blaine and I are just friends!” he insisted.

Of course, he couldn’t fool his friends. “Uh-huh,” Mercedes said. “Kurt - you’ve been crushin’ on him since you’ve met him.”

“Yes, well, clearly he doesn’t feel the same way.” Kurt angrly picked through the popcorn bowl.

“Well, have you told him how you feel?” Rachel asked, in a soft voice. 

“I mean, we spend all of our time together, sing together, go out to coffee every morning - you’d think he’d have gotten it by now.”

Mercedes let out a laugh. “Kurt, you know boys are dumb. He might be one of the ones you have to hit upside the head with a newspaper roll.”

“Well, it’s too late now - he’s going on a date with Jerry.” Kurt stuffed a whole bunch of popcorn in his mouth. 

Rachel scrunched her nose. “Who’s Jerry?”

“He’s a recently out lighting technician for the show, who must have just been hired because I have never heard of him before, and whom Blaine is taking on what can only be described as a pity date, because I saw him today, and he’s not that good looking. I mean, seriously, cut your hair Jerry.”

“Well,” Mercedes considered. “That still doesn’t mean you can’t tell him how you feel.”

“Oh, Jerry probably knows how I feel…” Kurt shoved another handful of popcorn in his mouth. 

“I meant Blaine,” Mercedes said. “If you don’t say something, you’ll never know.” 

“And when am I supposed to do that?” Kurt asked. “ Just crash his date with a declaration of love?” 

Rachel sat up straight, excited. “Oh, god, Kurt! That’s fantastic. I mean, a little limited in scope, but I can work with that.”

“What are you talking about?” Kurt asked. 

“Kurt, you should go on the date with them.” Clearly Rachel had lost her mind. 

“Do you know how dates work?”

“Go on a double date…” Rachel clarified. “You can ask--”

“Do not say Adam.”

“I was going to say Elliott,” Rachel said. 

“Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?” Kurt said. “I’m fine with you guys and this popcorn. Who needs love when you have butter and salt.” 

Rachel snagged the bowl away from him. “I’ll give you guys a couple hundred dollars - have a nice evening on me. I’m sure Elliott will do it for you - god knows we all know you need to get laid.”

Great - the girls were gossiping with Elliott now, too. 

But before he could protest, Mercedes’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, you could have Elliott flirt with this Jerry guy, so so win-win for everyone.”

“Yes!” Rachel cried. “And meanwhile, maybe you could show Blaine a more… explicit way that you like him.”

“Like showing him your butt.”

“Mercedes!!” 

Mercedes doubled over in a fit of giggles. 

“This is just never going to work,” Kurt said. It was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. 

“This is going to be brilliant,” Rachel said - completely assured. 

On the TV Billy Crystal held Meg Ryan in a tight and loving embrace, and no matter how hard he tried to cover his heart with a cynical shell, the romantic in him always peaked through. God dammit. He had to at least try to get his happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This work is on temporary hiatus. I do intend to continue with it, but at the moment, I'm unable to focus on it due to all the things going on in life. Hope you guys understand! Thanks!


End file.
